Gravity
by emilyherself
Summary: Liv Wellwood is psyched she's been assigned to a high profile case in the Auror Department, until she sees that she's paired up with Harry Potter. An absentee best friend, and alcoholic boyfriend, and an unlikely friendship leave Liv looking at life with a new perspective. (Warning: substance abuse, domestic violence, sexual content) Updates every M/W/F at 9AM EST!
1. Chapter 1

Paul Kensington, Head of Research for the Aurors, peeked his head over the wall of the cramped cubicle. It was technically a two person cube, though it was at capacity. File folders were strewn about, a box from the Archive spread across the desk, and there were at least two cups of coffee sitting next to the young woman working intently.

"Hey, Wellwood," he said, tapping the light that hung overhead with his wand. The previously dim cube was lit with a warm, flickering light.

She looked up from her desk, where she had been crouching over an old records book. She pushed her reading glasses up her nose. "Yes?"

"New case for you- it's high profile. I think you're going to like this."

Her eyes widened: her interest was piqued. She picked up one of the cups of coffee and leaned forward, "Tell me more."

"Meet me in my office at the top of the hour, I'll tell you all about it," he responded. "And for goodness' sake, turn your lights on. You'll be useless to me if you're blind from squinting so much."

She sat across from him in his office, crossing her long, slender legs and tightly grasping a fresh notebook. A fresh cup of coffee was just an arm's reach away, on his desk. She was eager.

"So," Kensington said, taking a seat with a tawny folder open in front of him. Have you heard of this Magi-Crack thing that all the youths are overdosing on?"

"I'm familiar with it," she said.

He peeked at her over the rims of his glasses.

"Not like that!" she exclaimed. "Kensington, that's really how you think I spend my nights and weekends?"

He shrugged, and continued. "Anyways, we've had an anonymous tip that two thugs, fresh out of Hogwarts, are making and distributing it."

"Ah, a good case, finally," she said, a small smile forming on her lips. She didn't look down, but her hand was scribbling quickly as she started to take notes.

"You have to admit, you do have a twisted sense of humor," he said, before continuing on. "I'd like to assign the case to you- if that's alright."

"Absolutely."

"We'll have you on Research, Darsyn on Liability, and Potter on the Ground."

A scowl fell over her pale face. "Really?"

"I know, I know. He's not your favorite person. But he's far and away the most qualified for this case, don't you agree?"

She rolled her eyes. She and Potter clashed often over her years in the department. He'd more recently transitioned to working with new Aurors, mentoring them and she couldn't have been happier. She detested his lack of adherence to procedure, and wasn't quiet about it. But she couldn't deny he was a keen and skilled Auror. "I'll get to work."

"That's the spirit!" Kensington responded, handing the folder with all the information to her. "I know you won't let us down."

She stood up to exit, tucking the folder on her arm, but he stopped her before she exited the door.

"Wellwood-" she turned to see what he wanted. "Is everything okay at home? You've been staying pretty late-"

"Never been better," she said, as if she were convincing herself, and she slipped out the door.

She cracked open the case file during lunch- a working lunch, because why socialize with coworkers you don't really like when you could actually get things done?

Timothy Nimmo and Marcus McCain were the two suspects, and their pictures certainly matched Kensington's description. They were thugs. Graduated lowest in their class. And now they were likely going to end up in prison.

She got surprisingly far that afternoon, diving into records of suspicious magical activity, looking at purchasing logs for potion shops from London to Hogsmeade, and started to dig deeper.

"Hey, Wellwood," a male voice called, and she turned around. "Got a sec?"

She pursed her lips as Potter walked into her cube, leaned against the wraparound desk, and crossed his arms.

"Apparently," she said, swiveling her chair around to face him. She removed her reading glasses and sighed. "What do you need?"

"Just wanted a status report on our case before we all head home for the weekend."

"So far I've cross referenced the Suspicious Magical Activity report with any addresses they may have connections to," she said, laying the reports out in front of him. "I think I may be on to something. McCain's great aunt Gertrude was admitted to Saint Mungo's weeks ago, and there seems to be some funny activity patterns at a house she owns. I'm going to keep watching that."

She flipped that record shut, and opened up a new file. "I received this from Gringotts just a bit ago, and it looks like both boys have had a lot of galleons fluctuating in and out of their accounts recently. The Goblins were kind enough to provide me some transaction records, and it seems like a lot of money has been spent at potion stores."

"I've sent letters to the stores asking for itemized receipts- I've gotten a few back already, I should have the rest by Monday. But I think it's pretty safe to say we have our men."

"Impressive," he said, nodding along as she spoke. "You pulled all of this together in just an afternoon?"

"Well, they're not exactly the brightest of criminals."

"So what are your next steps?"

"I'm going to follow up and see where Gertrude McCain is staying these days. I'll contact Mungo's, and if she's not still there, I'd like to send some low level Aurors to do a wellness check."

"Makes sense. I'll give Shane Robin and Darcy Pascovitch a head's up I may need them."

"Monday, I'll have all the itemized receipts from the potions shops and can confirm we have the right men. Every shop here to Hogsmeade has been issued a warning not to sell certain ingredients in large amounts to customers..." she continued, referencing her notes as she spoke. "Then we'll just have to track the thugs down. I'm hoping I can hit the field and do some observation next Tuesday or Wednesday to confirm things before I send you and your men in."

"I'll join you," he said. It wasn't a question. She bit her lip as she remembered why they didn't work very well together. In the normal protocol, she would scout alone. It was much easier to go unnoticed when solo.

"That's certainly not necessary," she scoffed.

"It's not for your benefit," he explained. "It's for mine."

"If you insist... But you best not blow my cover."

"It won't be an issue," he assured her. He peered once more at all of the information she'd managed to amass in such a short amount of time. He really didn't want to tell her he was impressed using words, but he gave an approving nod. "Well, I think that's all I need for today. Keep me updated."

She looked up, unamused. "As you wish."

He left the cubicle, but not before turning and placing his hand on the stack of files for a moment. He'd had a brief change of heart. "Good work today, Woodwell."

At 6 o'clock, an hour after she should have left, Kensington extinguished the lights in her cube. "Go home, Wellwood."

"I'm salary," she said. "What do you mind? I'm making your job easier."

"That's an order," he said in a scolding time. "I need you sharp for this case, go get some rest."

"Fine," she sighed, putting her reading glasses down and packing her bag.

Ten minutes later, she was above ground and walking home. The fresh air was nice, the early June breeze rustling her hair as she walked. She stopped at the grocer on the corner, buying a salad, bottle of wine and a tabloid, before heading up three flights of stairs to the flat she shared with her boyfriend, Ames.

She looked at the clock. Seven. It would be hours before Ames was home. The season had started and she was officially a Quidditch widow. A large glass of wine accompanied dinner, and an even larger one made up dessert, as she flipped through the ridiculous headlines of the cheap magazine. It was her favorite brand of escapism.

Eventually, her eyes grew heavy, and she settled into bed. It was getting late, but she'd lived with Ames long enough to know he'd see himself to bed.

She fell into a deep sleep, dreaming vaguely of her mother and her turbulent childhood. The changing landscape of the mattress woke her, as Ames situated himself in bed.

"What time is it?" She asked, her voice raspy from sleep.

"Nearly three, Liv," he said softly. "Sorry I was out so late, the boys wanted to celebrate-"

"Don't worry about it," she murmured, her voice crackly. She could smell the many pints of beer on him, but just rolled over to her side of the bed to get more comfortable. He followed, wrapping his thick arms around her before he began snoring in her ear. She was too tired to do anything about it.

Monday morning, she was at her desk by eight, pouring over the many pages of itemized receipts sent by eighteen different potions shops. This was exactly what she needed. She began marking certain receipts, and cross-checking their transactions with Gringott's records.

"Bingo," she said circling it and setting them aside.

St. Mungo's had written her back over the weekend, and confirmed that Gertrude McCain had been discharged to a rehabilitation center just outside of the city. Liv spent some time writing them to confirm she was still a patient there, then sealed it with the Ministry's logo in wax, for authenticity.

"Lars," she called, looking up at the cubicle across from hers. She wanted the new, fresh out of Hogwarts intern to take the letter for her, so she didn't need to step away from her work.

"Yeah?"

She held the letter up over the wall of her cubicle, not looking up from her work. "Make sure this is mailed priority for me."

"Oh, uh, Kensington wants me to make copies of-"

She glanced up at him over her reading glasses.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I took a quick break, heh," he said, nervously.

"Thank you, Lars."

By the end of the day, she had everything she needed. She presented it all to Kensington, explaining every aspect of it down to Gertrude McCain's absence, the suspicious activity at her address, and the matching transactions in the two suspects accounts.

"Looks great," he said. "That's why I put you on this case. Top notch work, Wellwood."

"Thank you, sir," she said, clasping her hands together. "I think I'll be out of the office tomorrow doing some research in person."

"Seems like a logical next step."

"Potter wants to come with me," she explained.

"Really?" He asked, wrinkling his face up in confusion. "I already told him I put my best worker in charge..."

She rolled her eyes slightly, annoyed that Potter felt the need to shadow her on the field, as if she wasn't capable of a case like this. "He said it was for his own benefit."

"I suppose," Kensington said, shrugging his shoulders. "If he insists, by all means."

"I'll go confirm with him, but unless you hear anything from me, assume we're not in the office tomorrow."

"Great," he said. "Oh, and be a little nicer to the intern, maybe?"

"Maybe," she pondered. She knew her reputation was never stellar, but her work _always_ was. Kensington was trying to develop her people skills. Those could be taught. Being good at research was innate.

Potter had an office, unlike Liv. When she got there, the door was closed with the blinds shut. She paced back and forth for a minute, then grew bored.

"Hey, Taryn," she said, approaching the woman who worked as an assistant to Potter and a few other high up aurors. "Potter in a meeting?"

"Yes, he's been in all afternoon. I'm not sure how much longer it will be," Taryn explained.

"Helpful," she said, under her breath. "I need to leave a message with him, and it's of the utmost importance that he receive it as soon as possible. I need him to come see me to talk."

"I'll be sure to tell him as soon as he's free."

She strolled back to her desk. Monday afternoons were the only day she ever cut out of work early, as Monday was Ames' day off. All her work was wrapped up, so she was stuck, waiting for Potter to grace her with his presence, before she could go home and spend a few hours with her boyfriend.

She waited an hour before getting up again, circling the office to see if he was really still in a meeting. She found herself getting pretty heated when she saw his door was open.

She swung around the corner and into the office. "You didn't get my message?"

"No, I did. I just had other things to take care of first," Potter said, his face entirely neutral. "But I suppose you're here now, so what do you need?"

"Me? I don't need anything," she said, her eyes narrowed with annoyance. "But if you still wanted to join me in the field tomorrow, I have some info you might want."

"Oh, yes," he said, his tone changing. "Please, sit."

"I'm not staying long," she said. "Meet me here at nine, and we'll walk to the observation spot together. Look like a muggle. And bring stuff to make yourself look busy. A book or something."

She handed him a small stack of papers, including the annotated map. He looked over it, nodding. "Alright, great. I'll see you at nine, Wellwood."

**Author's Note: New story! And even better, I have the entire story written (including epilogue!) and will be releasing a new chapter every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9am EST. This was just a bit of an intro, normal chapters will be around 3K words and there should be about 30 chapters to this story. Many, many thanks to my beta potter-reading-coastie, because if not for him, this story would never have left my google drive. Stay tuned for more on Monday! **


	2. Chapter 2

She left the flat around eight so she could take a leisurely walk through the city. She ducked into a store to purchase breakfast and entertainment for the day. She was dressed in her most Muggle outfit, dark ripped jeans and a shirt that had a famous Muggle band's logo on it. A pair of dark sunglasses on her head held her hair back and out of her face. Her hair was usually braided, but her goal today was to look the least like herself as possible.

She was early, as usual, and sat on a bench at their meeting spot, her foot tapping as she waited. She thought about cracking open today's tabloid, but it was purely to look busy and normal, so thought against it. She did not have to put on the act here.

Finally, a few minutes before nine, she spotted him from a distance. She was satisfied with the outfit he picked. In their casual, weekday looks, they could've been tourists or just two friends enjoying a rare sunny London day.

"Good morning," she called when he was a few paces away.

"Where to, Wellwood?" he asked. "You're in charge."

Church bells rang in the distance, giant clangs signaling it was nine o'clock. She found a bench across from where the address in question should have been... but somehow didn't exist.

"Now we wait?" He asked.

"That's why I told you to bring stuff to look busy," she explained. "They've obviously got wards up, we just need to wait for them to slip up and then decipher what you're dealing with."

"Right," he said. "I could guess what they're using, I've got similar protections on my own home-"

"Good aurors don't guess," she said, echoing words that every Auror had heard a thousand times before they got on their first case.

He nodded, knowing she was right. She was a pain in the arse to deal with, but she wasn't incompetent. "That's correct."

"Gotta keep the fan girls out?" She asked, reaching in the plastic shopping bag and taking out the parfait she'd bought for breakfast.

"Came with the place, actually," he said.

She ate her granola and yogurt slowly, trying to look as natural as possible, while keeping her eyes fixed across the street.

"I was beginning to think you didn't eat," he said, in an attempt at small talk. "Not sure I've ever seen you in the cafeteria."

She swallowed the bite of yogurt she'd just taken before replying. "Big fan of a working lunch."

He nodded and got to reading his files, which he'd charmed to look like a muggle newspaper. But his eyes also flicked up across the street. She was not used to having company, and found it rather distracting.

After about forty minutes of waiting, she stood up, and lit a long, skinny cigarette.

"Those are horrible for you," Potter said.

She shrugged, stretching her arms out wide and walking a few paces away to both stretch her legs and not to bother him. She didn't like him, but she didn't want to be a complete arse and smoke him out.

They watched. And they waited. She took the apple out of her bag and ate that, out of sheer boredom.

"How do you not lose your mind?" He asked.

"Sometimes it's far easier. Sometimes I'm there ten minutes and I have all the info I need. These buggers, though... they might hold out on us awhile. But they'll slip up eventually. They've slipped up on everything else." she explained. "And I've perfected the art of counting how many people have walked past."

"And?"

"One hundred and eighteen people so far. Six dogs, although I'm not counting the one a woman carried in her purse," she said, in obvious disdain. He smiled at the small cracks of a not-miserable person she was allowing to slip through.

She tried to look natural, reading her tabloid, reading Ames' upcoming games and marking which ones she would be at, making a grocery list.

"How long do you think we should stay?" He asked, after they'd been sitting there for nearly two hours without any sign of activity.

"Well, we don't want to look suspicious. Maybe another half hour. We need this info before your guys go in there, though. Why, got another afternoon long meeting?"

"No, I cleared my schedule for you," he said.

She raised her eyebrows, surprised. _That_ was a big deal, and a huge sign of respect. "Well."

She glanced at her watch, as it ticked forward. She started to grow weary of watching, and felt her attention was slipping. She was sure Potter's had gone as well, since this was not his usual line of work.

"Maybe we should head back to the office," she suggested.

"Back to the office?" He questioned. "Kensington told me to make you go home after we were done in the field today, something about too many hours-"

"That arse," she sighed. What was she supposed to do for six more hours until Ames got home? She ran her fingers through her hair and flipped her sunglasses down over her eyes. "Alright then. Same place, after lunch on Friday?"

"I'm free," he said. "Meet in the office?"

"Sure."

She nodded at him and turned around, walking in the direction of her flat. Guess this meant she was going to scrub the place from top to bottom this afternoon.

At noon on Friday, Liv wrapped up her side projects and prepared to hit the field. She quickly changed into muggle clothes and stored the rest of her things at her desk. She looked totally different today, wearing a gray silk blouse, a skirt, and the sapphire necklace Ames had gotten her for Christmas. She'd even put on lipstick.

She glanced up to see Potter walking towards her, dressed like any old Muggle working an office job in the city would. It was an odd sight, but it was the right one.

"Let's do this," he said, and they began the journey to the same bench as before. She really hoped that they would get some info today, else they'd need a new vantage spot to remain inconspicuous.

Liv lit up a cigarette and paced a bit. If they couldn't crack this, what would they do? Send Harry and his team in blind? Hope that through sheer dumb luck, Harry's familiarity with this kind of magic would suffice? It just wasn't an option.

"You're making me nervous," he said, after her third cigarette in a row. "You're going to wear a hole in the side walk. Sit down, will you?

"I think better when I pace. Plus, I might as well use your eyes and attention before they're gone. Unless, of course, they are already.

"Hey, I've done a fine job so far," he said, and she realized she'd dug into him just a bit too far. "I'm not sure why you're always such an uptight arse about everything."

She huffed, and stamped out her cigarette with her boot, then got sat back down, this time resting her ass on the top of the bench and putting her hands out, palm down, on her knees.

"This shit killed my mum," she said, quietly. She had no idea what compelled her to spill her guts to someone she didn't even like, but here she was, and there was no way to un-tell him.

"Oh, god," he said, furrowing his brow. She didn't want the sympathy. "You should've had Kensington give you a different case-"

"I'm not letting the choice of others handicap my career," she said. "This is a big case to be associated with."

"I'm sorry, Wellwood. I'm really not sure what else to say," he said. His entire demeanor had changed, instead of combating her sarcasm with his wit, his face softened. "Just you and your dad then?"

"Nah, never knew him," she said, itching for another cigarette. "Walked out before I was born."

"...siblings?"

"Just me," she said, and he had a little more understanding on why she was… the way she was.

"You're ...dating someone though, aren't you?"

"Yeah, Ames and I have been together for a few years. So I've got him at least." she said.

Their silence was a little more comfortable now, but she was still stressed and found herself smoking and pacing often.

"He plays Quidditch, doesn't he?" Potter asked, noticing that she would stop pacing to answer and it was really driving him barmy.

"He's a Beater for the Tornadoes."

"You must be quite the Quidditch widow right now then," he said. "I remember those days."

She thought back to all the headlines in the tabloids about his divorce, but that must have been years ago, now. "It's the worst, right?"

"God forbid they have more than a day off a week, and even on off days they're working out, and of course their off days never line up with your off days."

"Oh, of course not. That would be far too convenient," she said. "I'm lucky if I duck out of work early on Monday once a month, just to spend a few extra hours with him."

After a few moments of thoughtful silence, he asked "I kept you waiting Monday, didn't I?"

She extinguished her cigarette, sat down, and nodded. "You did. But how would you have known?"

"Well, we actually found something in common," Potter said. "Perhaps now you won't hate me."

"I didn't hate you," she said. "I don't hate anyone. Okay, maybe I hate Houston, but that's only because he's incompetent and has no respect of deadlines, and he has the office I wanted."

"He's such a pain to work with," Potter agreed, emphatically. "I try as hard as possible to avoid it."

She smiled, before turning back to what was in her lap. He let some time go by, his eyes focused across the street intently.

"So how'd you get to be on the Research team?" he asked.

"Well," she said, sighing as she figured out how to briefly outline her transformation from a careless Hogwarts student to someone with an actual career. "I was an awful student... for most of my time at Hogwarts. I'm talking truly poor marks."

"You don't seem like the type," he said, wrinkling his nose at her.

"I simply didn't care," she explained. "And my mother couldn't be bothered by what marks I made. But my best friend, Holly- Evanson, you probably know her as, she had these big dreams of being an Auror. Nothing was going to stand in her way..."

He looked, thoughtfully for a moment, trying to place her. "Not sure I know an Evanson..."

"She's short? Blonde curly hair? Did a lot of work on the Stonehenge case two years ago..." she began, trying to figure out how to link the two of them up. "Really, eh, big tits?"

"Ah, her!" He said. "Haven't seen her for awhile."

She shoved him.

"You're a git, I'll have you know," she said, laughing. "She's been out on maternity leave- had the kid, I dunno, six months ago now. Anyways. She was dead set on me not failing out of absolutely everything, so she kept dragging me to Divination classes."

"Really?" He asked. "Out of all the subjects, Divination?"

"Hey, I am an expert tea leaf reader," she defended herself with utmost sincerity. "Anyways, between that old bat Trelawney and Holly, they managed to convince me that my attention to detail was a skill that I could use, and a gracious fool named Paul Kensington agreed to take me on with an internship after Hogwarts."

"Interesting," he said. "And you've been there since?"

"When Kensington started going to the intern before some of his Junior Researchers, he decided it was time for a promotion... and I guess I've worked my way up over the last seven years."

"Good for you," he said. "I don't envy your job, but you're damn good at it."

"Thank you, Potter," she said, quietly examining her hands.

"Are you and Evanson still close?"

"Friendships are complicated," she murmured, not wanting to go into any further detail.

A moment later, her eyes fixated across the street as a young man approached, stumbling a bit. She was grateful to pivot their conversation back to work.

"Huh," she said, beginning to scribble on the pad in her lap.

"He doesn't look like one of the suspects."

"No, but he sure looks like a buyer," she said, unfortunately knowing all too much about what the signs were.

They watched him stumble around, even making it up one stoop to knock on the door. Harry got up, as discreetly as possible, to get a better vantage point on the man as he began to wobble off in another direction.

She watched, with bated breath, hoping their suspects would reveal themselves, or at least let the bugger in so she and Potter could get a peak at their charms.

But it was no luck. He made it almost out of her sight, and she turned to Potter, who nodded at her as he began to tail him. She was merely there to observe and report. Actually apprehending anyone? That was definitely not her territory. That was the sort of thing she'd get disciplined for.

Since there was nothing more to see, she turned her attention back to her notes to make sure she had everything she wanted to remember. Her eyes periodically flicked up, checking the status of across the street. She was disheartened, to say the least.

She lit up another cigarette, waiting for Potter to make his way back to their spot. It was about twenty minutes before he approached her from behind, huffing and puffing.

"Out of shape, Potter?" She asked, not looking up, but smirking.

"Just hauled my arse out of there when I realized he was about to notice me," he explained. "Then I had to take the long way back to try and throw him off if he decided to follow me."

She nodded. "We're still at square one."

"I know," he said. "And we need a new vantage point if we're going to stake out here again."

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

"Has Dawsyn been sending you the reports?" Potter asked, taking his seat next to her again.

"Another six admitted to St. Mungo's..." She thought briefly of her mother's affliction, then pushed it straight out of her head. "You could go in blind, but that seems like a rather foolish thing to do."

"Far too foolish," he agreed. "I'm not sure what sorts of wards they have up, what they're capable of."

"I'll write to Hogwarts," she said. "Speak to their professors, see if they were talented in any of their subjects."

"They had awful marks, Wellwood-"

"So didn't I, now look where I am."

He nodded, admitting she was right. "Alright. I hate to let this hang over the weekend, but it seems it's going to have to."

"I have more research to do... I want this case closed," she explained.

"Yeah," he said. "Me too."

"I'm heading back to the office," she said, and he got up and followed.

Upon returning to her desk, she disregarded the inbox full of mail and turned straight to her parchment, sending off letters to Hogwarts that she hoped would be read and returned with haste. It took her a few hours, but she managed to get at least one letter back assessing the skills of the men in question.

"McCain was skilled, but lacked application. Homework assignments were sloppy, if turned in at all. Very little grasp of the upper theory of charms that took more dedication to learn, but he was quite gifted with a wand. It would not surprise me at all if he had used this talent for negative things..."

"Wellwood," Kensington said, as he shut the door to his office behind him. "It's half past quitting time."

"I know," she sighed. "I've just got to-"

"What's the status on the case?"

"We've got more evidence we're in the right place, we're just trying to nail some things down further before we send the team in there."

"Very good," he said. "Now get out of here before I vanish your light sources."

She grumbled about it, but collected her things and got out of there for the week. She walked home slowly, tired, but her head was moving at a fast pace. She was trying to piece things together.

She knew Ames had a game tonight, again... So she stopped at the store down the street and got the Quidditch widow special: a bottle of wine and a pint of ice cream. She knew there were leftovers in the fridge.

As she walked up the stairs to her third floor flat, she couldn't help but feel mentally exhausted by this entire week. She wanted this case over. Hopefully Tuesday, she could get the evidence she needed and hand the case over to Potter. Her entire head would be much clearer after they left the debriefing meeting for the case.

As soon as she stepped in the front door, she was startled. Ames was home.

"Hey," she said, putting her things down on the counter. "What's going on?"

"I'm not allowed to be in my flat?" He asked from where he stood by the stove, his arms crossed.

"No, you are... It's just Friday, during the season."

"Game was cancelled due to weather," he said. "I'm guessing you didn't get my note."

"Note?"

"I sent you a note to work that I'd be home early and I wanted to go out. I asked you to meet me at that new restaurant over in your part of town, the one on-"

"Oh, Ames, I was in the field and I've just had the craziest day," she pleaded.

"It's fine" he said, raising his arms. "I get it."

She knew there was no winning here, and she was tired. She turned, put her boot up on the chair and unlaced them, one by one, and slipped them off, her toes wiggling in freedom.

"What've you got there?" Ames asked. She knew he'd come around, and let him poke through her bag. "Wine and ice cream. Why are you always bringing home such absolute trash and putting it in your body?"

"For fuck's sake," Liv screeched, crossing the threshold of what she would allow. "I'm underwater in the most important case I've worked on in over a year, can you give me a goddamn break, Ames?"

She kicked her boots into a pile by the door and went to lock herself in the bedroom.

"Don't you-" he reached out and grabbed her arm, and the force he used shocked both of them and he dropped her arm.

Tears sprung to her eyes, and she walked straight into the bedroom and locked the door behind her. She didn't want to look at him. She felt disgusting, and any evidence of an appetite disappeared.

She snuck the balcony door open and lit up a cigarette. She rarely smoked when she was home, but she needed something to force her to slow down, take a deep breath, and focus.

She reached at her sleeve and pulled it up. A red handprint shape had already formed against her pale white skin, and her shoulder ached from being tugged. Ames was stronger than he ever realized.

She thought about leaving, about packing a bag and taking it elsewhere for the night, but she really had nowhere to go. She hadn't spoken to Holly in a few months, after Holly had blown her off twice, and didn't want to resume that friendship by showing up at her door upset. Holly's new obsession with her baby had caused the divide to grow between them. She felt incredibly trapped, and had never felt quite so alone.

**Author's Note: Here's chapter two! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, DMed me, and subscribed to this story! The support is really awesome. Evergreen thanks to potter-reading-coastie for betaing this story. Next chapter will be up, same time, same place on Wednesday! **


	3. Chapter 3

She spent the night in their room, hungry, exhausted, and upset. She paced a lot, finished her pack of cigarettes, and tried not to cry.

Ames had never been physical with her like that before, and it startled her deep to her core. He'd been rough with her in bed, but that was another thing entirely, and she'd always enjoyed that. But hurting her, bruising her- it just felt so demeaning. She couldn't think about it without her stomach turning inside out.

She tossed and turned in bed, unable to get comfortable or stop her mind from running. After midnight, the door unlocked, and Ames stuck his head around sheepishly.

"Love, you awake?"

"What do you want, Ames?"

He stepped in, and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I just..."

She sat up, waiting to see what he was going to say. What words could possibly undo this?

"I don't even know what was going through my mind. Please forgive me?"

She was too tired to fight. "Sure."

He slipped under the covers and tried to cuddle with her, but she pushed his arms away. "I really just want to sleep tonight."

"Okay."

He was gone in the morning, but had left a long letter apologizing for his actions on the counter. Perhaps she had overreacted, last night. She had walked in the door with her mind going a million miles a minute...

She spent all weekend sorting through further information on the case, as Ames caught up with Quidditch. She was enjoying the solitary time to focus on what she needed to get done, and not think about Friday evening.

Monday morning came quickly, and she was excited to close out this case. It would be done this week. She could feel it in her bones, and her instincts were rarely wrong.

She was at her desk by eight on Monday morning, sorting through the six letters that had arrived from Hogwarts over the weekend.

"Wellwood," Potter said, leaning in over her cubicle.

"Good morning," she said, in an almost cheerful tone. Her demeanor was weird. He tilted his head. "So I was thinking-"

He clinked his mug against the top of the her cube, and she stopped speaking. "I'd like to take you up on your fantastic tea reading skills."

She laughed, and reached up for the mug. As she moved, the sleeve of her shirt fell down her wrist and he grabbed it.

"What happened to you?" He asked, referring to the fading bruise that was clearly at one point a handprint.

By now, her arm was a sour yellow with a spot of purple where Ames' thumb had dug into her arm. She retracted it from his touch quickly and pulled her sleeve back down. "I... closed it... in a door. Doesn't matter, it's fine."

He looked at her, a very discerning type of glance, but she wouldn't flinch. He leaned the empty mug down towards her so she could see.

She glanced at it for a moment, the random pattern of It telling a clear prediction that she didn't feel like getting into. "It says I'm very busy and have got to get back to work."

He studied the leaves himself for a moment, then realized what she'd said. "Fine, I'll be out of your hair in a moment. When do you want to go back out to the field?"

"Tomorrow?" she asked, not looking up from the pile of paperwork. She felt a deep, deep shame.

"Department wide meetings tomorrow and Wednesday," he said. "I can do Thursday."

"I don't really want to wait until Thursday," she said.

He shrugged, frustrated with her. "Oh well," he said, before walking back in the direction of his office.

She looked up, a pinched look on her face. She did not appreciate getting any snark from him. She might have given him loads, but being on the receiving end just made her feel even worse.

She stewed in her crappy mood all morning, not getting nearly as much done. She started throwing away all the papers she didn't need, because everything felt so cluttered and she was aggravated and in need of a release. She put her waste bin on the opposite side of her cube and began crumpling paper up and throwing it in.

"Wellwood," Kensington said, poking his head out of his office. "Could you declutter any louder?"

She flicked her wand at the trash can and amplified the sound. She heard him sigh audibly.

"Just following orders," she called.

When her desk was clear, she finally felt like she might be able to work again. She got up, poured herself a fresh cup of coffee, and got settled in to do some work. Finally.

Except she heard a familiar voice, and peeked her head up over her cubicle.

"Oh, he is just too cute!" Anne Beck, one of the secretaries for the Research department cooed.

Holly was here. Holly had brought the baby to work. And they were headed towards Liv...

She turned away and took a deep breath in, wondering why this week was trying to turn all her hairs gray.

"Surprise!" Holly said, her face exuberant as she spotted Liv.

"Oh, hi," Liv said, trying to smile but sure it looked more like a grimace.

"I'm so glad you are in the office today!" she said. "I was going to write but then I wasn't sure when I would be here but we came in to visit Cian so I thought I'd come down here and say hello."

Cian, Holly's husband, worked in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, working closely with Ireland. Liv didn't mind Cian, they'd gotten coffee a few times. He was witty, and always kind to Holly.

"Yeah, I'm in the office all day today," she said. She glanced at the baby Holly was carrying around his hip. His light hair and eyes made him look just like Cian.

"Hold him for a sec, yea?" Holly said, handing him off to Liv to hold. She had no idea what to do with him. Babies weren't really her thing.

Holly straightened her shirt and ran a hand through her full head of bouncy, light curls.

"He's beautiful, Holly. Really." Liv said, because she knew it was the right thing to say.

"Isn't he?" She sighed, stroking his cheek. "Doesn't he just make you want one of your own?"

Liv knew that nothing would make Holly happier than both of them pushing their kids together in prams and gossiping. She had considered them as close as sisters, once. "Maybe eventually..."

"How is everything? I know I've been an awful friend, just had a lot on my plate with the baby, but we've absolutely got to get together-"

"Absolutely." Liv handed the baby back to Holly.

"Oh, I know. You should come up to the cafeteria and we can catch up for a bit. Xavi's getting hungry, and it is lunch time."

"I dunno," Liv said, raising a hand and playing with the hair on the bottom of her neck nervously. "I've got a lot of work to do, I'm in the middle of a huge case-"

"Kensington," Holly said, leaning out of the cube and looking into his office. "Can you spare Liv for half an hour or so?"

"Please," Kensington said. "Get her away from that damn desk!"

Liv reluctantly grabbed her lunch and followed Holly upstairs to the cafeteria. Holly babbled the entire way up, mostly about the baby. In a way, it was familiar and Liv wanted to lean in to that feeling, but couldn't, because it was road blocked by unexpressed resentment.

Holly talked near endlessly about all sorts of things... the summer holiday she and Cian were planning, her uncertainty about her time frame to return to work, how she was considering working at least another year before thinking about another baby.

Liv picked at her lunch in between showing a bit of approval at everything Holly said.

Finally, after a good twenty minutes, Holly looked straight at her. "So how's everything with you?"

Liv finished chewing her bite of salad. If only she could answer that honestly… A year ago, she would have. Today, not so much. "Everything's good. No complaints."

"And how is Ames doing?" Holly said, always having been fond of him.

"Oh, very busy," she said. "You know, Quidditch season and all that. But he's well. The team's doing well."

"Tell him Cian and I send our best, we'll have to have you around soon for dinner, of course."

"Of course."

"Oh, gosh, I've talked your ear off!" She said, shoving another piece of cereal into the baby's mouth. "I told Cian we'd stop by again before we left."

"Oh, by all means!" Liv said, ready for a few moments of silence before heading back to work. "Don't let me hold you up."

"We'll see you soon, don't you worry," Holly said. "I'll write you this week- we'll make a plan."

"Good to see you."

Liv watched Holly hoist the baby up around her hip and trudge out of the cafeteria. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding in. She had a little time before she had to be back at her desk, so she took a tabloid out of her work bag and began to flip through it mindlessly.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Liv looked up, and saw Potter standing there. She shrugged.

He sat down. "I have never seen you up here.

"It wasn't by choice," she said, not glancing up from the magazine. "Did you know you're bankrupt?"

"What?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, turn to page nineteen to read all about it," she said, sliding the magazine towards him.

"Oh, don't tell me you read that garbage," he said, recognizing what it was. "I wouldn't have pegged you liking trash like that."

"Everyone's allowed a guilty pleasure or two."

There was a pause in conversation, and she was about to excuse herself when he began to speak. "Is your boyfriend mistreating you?"

"What?" Liv asked, indignantly.

"Your arm looks quite bad."

"I told you, I was clumsy and I did it myself."

She held his eye contact, staring at his dark green eyes full on. She would not waver.

"You're an awful liar," he said. "Truly, terrible."

"Did you come over here just to insult me?" She asked.

"No," he said, his tone apologetic. "I just... I didn't want to leave things how I walked away this morning. If you need help, there's resources for that sort of thing. We've had our differences, Wellwood-"

"I'm really all set. But, thank you, Potter," she said, sincerely. "Now, I've really got to get back to work."

"What time Thursday?" He asked.

"Ten o'clock. Meet me at the coffee shop two blocks south. Deja Brew or something kitschy."

He nodded, and she turned to get back to her desk.

When she walked in the door that evening, the flat smelled amazing. "What're you making?"

"Salmon, brown rice, and green beans," Ames said from the stove. She walked over to him and leaned up to kiss him. "How was your day, love?"

She sighed, putting her work bag down by the door and removing her shoes. "Long."

He waited to see if she'd speak more. "C'mon, I know you've got more to say than that."

"Holly was in the office today."

"She's back from leave already?" He asked, looking over his shoulder as he finished up dinner.

"Noooo," Liv emphasized. "Came to the Ministry to visit Cian and graced me with her presence."

"Would have been nice if she could've acknowledged you, I dunno, any time in the last six months?"

Liv took a seat at the table and he presented her with a beautifully plated dinner. Ames was the cook of the two- his dinners were always tasty, healthy, and most importantly: not burnt.

"What'd she have to say?"

"Lots about the baby, lots about Cian, lots about how of course we've got to get together."

"What's the baby called, again?"

"Xavier," she said. "And doesn't he just make me want one of my own?"

"Blech," he said, and she smiled. Ames had no desire to have children, and Liv was on pretty much the same page. "No babies."

"No babies," she affirmed. "How was your day?"

"Fine. Slept in, went to the gym, worked out with Simon for a few hours."

"How's he doing?" she asked. Simon Stillwater was Ames' best friend. He'd just returned from Portugal where he'd played in a summer exhibition Quidditch game.

"Great! Loved Portugal, couldn't stop raving about it, in fact. I was thinking perhaps we could make it our summer holiday."

"Sounds perfect to me."

"Oh, before I forget. Don't forget, Finnegan's wedding is Saturday," he said. "Such a git, scheduling his wedding on the only scheduled off Saturday of the summer."

"Oh right. I've got to pick a dress," she said. "Thanks for the reminder."

"Something summery, maybe?" Ames asked, his eyes twinkling. He knew her wardrobe contained very limited bright colors, and definitely nothing with a floral pattern.

"Yeah, maybe."

The week dragged, with most of the department in meetings, she was left with little work and little entertainment. Even Kensington was barely around.

She had her eyes set on Thursday. She could hardly sleep Wednesday night, with anticipation. She needed to get back on the field. She needed to get this done.

She woke up earlier than usual, way before Ames. Knowing that she would likely be in the field most of the day, she packed herself a sandwich, and grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit on the counter. Then, she set out to where she had told Potter to meet her.

She was early, naturally, so grabbed a latte and read the morning paper while she waited. She eyed her watch as the time neared ten, and there was still no sign of Potter.

At two after, she saw him enter the shop. He looked extremely disheveled, his shirt wrinkly and his hair all mussed. He only wore one sock. "Let me just grab a cup of coffee and I'll be ready to go."

She nodded and collected her things, and he joined her when she walked out of the cafe. "Interesting fashion choices today, Potter."

"Yeah, well..." He said, noncommittally.

"Walk of shame?" She asked, smirking at him.

He chuckled, not enough daring to answer. "Where'd you like to get set up this morning?"

She noted his change of subject and didn't press further. "Let's do a quick walk by and see what we can find."

They settled on a bench about three houses down from their target, on the same side of the street this time. Potter sat closer to the house, while Liv settled with her back against the arm of the bench, her long legs crossed.

Potter sipped his coffee and began to look more like himself. He straightened his hair, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. She occasionally looked up from lazily doodling in her notebook to glance at him and found the transformation endearing. He'd grown on her.

"I have a good feeling about today," he said.

She murmured her agreement. The typically overcast London morning was clearing into a delightfully sunny, summer day.

She observed every person that walked past, wondering if they were a client, or otherwise connected to the case. Tons of people passed her that morning, but not a single one hesitated by the location in question.

When the sun was high in the sky, she took her lunch out of her bag. "Want half a sandwich, Potter? Roast beef and cheese."

He looked over at the half she offered him. "How do I know you haven't tainted it?"

"I'll have you know," she said. "That I make an excellent sandwich. It's truly the height of my culinary expertise. You should feel honored that I've even offered."

A smile turned the corner of his lips up. To further prove her point, she took a bite out of the half she had offered him. He laughed, and accepted it.

"Can't believe you think I'd do that to you," she said, between bites.

"I dunno," he said. "You've never been my biggest fan."

"Nah, you can be a git," she said, slowly. "But you're growing on me."

"This is a good sandwich."

As the afternoon passed, the sky began to grow overcast again. They had lucked out so far and managed not to get rained on, but today their luck had run out. Fat drops started landing on them, and the skies opened up.

"To the bus shelter!" Potter yelled, and she grabbed her belongings and followed him down the block shielding her head with a newspaper.

"It'll pass," she said, having lived in this city for years. "I think it's worth sticking around for."

He looked down at his watch. She knew they were running out of hours in the day. But she was determined.

"If you have stuff to do at the office, feel free to head back," she said. "I'm perfectly used to scouting by myself."

"No," he said. His eyes were focused on the direction of their focus. "I'll stay."

The storm raged on for more than twenty minutes, and they stayed in the bus shelter the whole time. The rain was slowly coming to a stop when something piqued her attention.

"Potter," she said, as quietly as possible. "I think those are our suspects."

His eyes followed hers, to the two young men walking towards them from the opposite direction. Timothy Nimmo, the tall, lanky boy and his accomplice, Marcus McCain, a heavy set boy, were approaching the house from the other side.

"Definitely them," he said. "Don't move."

They watched as the two boys approached one of the houses. McCain took out his wand, and she looked to Potter as he noted every move McCain made.

This was the info they were waiting for.

A stoop appeared, and the two boys walked up it, opened the door, and disappeared.

But the entryway they had revealed did not disappear as it should.

"Wellwood," Potter said, without taking his eyes off it. "I know you are not trained for this sort of activity, but I'm going to need you to follow my lead."

A brief moment of panic washed over her, but she nodded. She was not trained for this. She had no idea what she was doing. There was a reason most of her job was at a desk...

But she followed him, down the street, through the rain, and up the stairs before she could think further. Once they were on the step, he closed the wards with them on the inside.

He spun a dial on his watch, tweaking it finely. "I'm shutting off their Floo network and ability to apparate so we don't have any issues."

She nodded.

"Just stay behind me and keep your wand up, okay?"

"Okay."

**Author's Note: And here's chapter three! Let me know what you think :) Evergreen thanks to potter-reading-coastie for betaing. Next chapter will be up on Friday morning! **


	4. Chapter 4

He braced himself, then knocked on the door. He gave it a few seconds, then used his wand to blast through the door.

"MINISTRY OF MAGIC! I WANT EVERYONE'S WAND ON THE GROUND!"

Liv had her wand held high, and kept her back against Potter's as the entered the house. This way they would have protection from both sides.

The two boys they had just seen enter the house were standing in the kitchen, conversing with a third boy who was bottling up their goods. Liv felt chills at the sight. 

"I SAID, WANDS DOWN!" Potter bellowed, in a tone that made even Liv twitch. 

The three boys reluctantly dropped their wands, and put their hands in the air.

"You can't just come into our house, man," the skinny one piped up.

"I've two search warrants," he said. "This operation is getting shut down. Hands on the wall."

She was about to move to help him cuff the teenagers, when she saw a flicker of movement on the staircase just outside the kitchen. He reached for his wand, but not before-

"STUPEFY!" Liv yelled, watching as the fourth boy fell over, frozen. Then she got up in Marcus McCain's face. "Got any other friends in the house that we should know about?"

Fear had kicked in, and she watched his jaw quiver. "N-n-no." 

"You sure about that?" she sneered. "We're not going to be very happy if you've lied to us." 

He nodded, beads of sweat forming and rolling down his face. She placed her wand to his wrists and bound them. Potter moved towards the other two boys, so Liv directed her attention to the punk on the stairs, binding his hands before reversing his spell.

"You fucking bitch!" he spat, upon being unfrozen.

Unamused, she cast a silencing spell on him, and began to drag his uncooperative body down the stairs, dropping him off in the kitchen with the rest of them. Her heart was still beating fast in her chest, but she was running on pure adrenalin. 

Potter was leaning over the fireplace in the front sitting room, and she joined him to see what the plan was. He stood up and brushed his clothes off. "Aurors are sending a team to document and seize everything. They should be here in a minute or two."

"Do they handle, erm, the boys?" She gestured in the direction of the kitchen. 

"No," he said. "That's on me-us." 

She nodded, and glanced at her watch to see that it was after five already. Before she could say anything else, the team of Aurors began coming through the Floo in rapid succession. Suddenly, four men and two women were in the living room, combing through things and sticking anything suspicious in plastic bags. 

Potter spoke to their leader, Georgia Nuevo, and handed the crime scene over to her. Then, he turned to her. "You grab two and I'll grab two. We're going to be taking them to the basement of the Ministry, there's a small holding cell there. They'll stay there until they're processed."

She nodded, and grabbed McCain and Nimmo by the hands. Teenage boys smelled gross.

"See you there, Wellwood," Potter said, before appirating away. She waited a moment before leaving herself, the two boys in tow.

She had only been in the basement of the Ministry once, and not wanting to splinch the criminals, appirated to where she remembered. Mercifully, Potter had chosen that spot as well. "Just this way."

It was very chilly in the basement, and it gave her the creeps. The little hairs at the base of her neck stood on end.

Harry tapped his wand on a door, and it opened slowly. An older man sat at a desk, looking bored. 

"Krause," Potter greeted his. "I'm sure you were informed?"

"Yes," the man said, standing up. He carried a large set of keys, assumably for the large door behind him. "She doesn't have clearance." 

"She's with me," Potter said, leaving no question. Somehow, she minded his rule-bending less when it made her life easier... 

Krause threw an unhappy glance in her direction, but didn't question it. Liv was unsure if Potter got away with bending Ministry rules because of his elevated position in the Auror department or because of who he was. She decided it ultimately didn't matter, as she was here to finish the task at hand. Despite the stress of apprehending their targets, she was happy to be with this case until it was closed.

Following Potter's directions, she got Nimmo and McCain into different cells, and Krause went behind them, making sure they were locked.

"You got it from here, Krause?"

"Yep," the short old man said. "I'll do their intakes."

"Very good."

Liv followed Potter out, and as they entered the elevator wordlessly. All at once, she felt the exhaustion hit her, and realized it was after seven.

"What a day," she said.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into something that's not your area of expertise..." He said, rubbing his eyes. "I just saw the opportunity when they forgot to close their wards, and I couldn't let that go. Plus..." 

She looked to him when he said nothing further. "What?"

"I trusted you could handle it. And I was right."

She felt a surprising surge of pride. She didn't usually care what people thought of her- positively or negatively, but Potter's approval meant a lot to her. They walked together to the main Atrium.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Potter said. "I'm sure Kensington is going to want you in on the debriefing."

She nodded, simply out of energy. "See you."

She normally walked home, but today she was too tired. She quickly found an open fireplace, and took the Floo home.

"Well it's about damn time!" 

She was surprised to be greeted by that voice, and quickly turned around. "Simon!"

She gained a quick second wind, and engulfed him in a hug. Ames had been right, Portugal has been good to him. "How have you been?"

"Oh, great," he said. "Kicked some arse in Portugal, met loads of beautiful chicks, and enjoyed myself. No complaints."

"Great," Liv said.

She kicked off her work boots and accepted a glass of wine from Ames. "Hope you don't mind that we ordered take away. I didn't realize you'd be working so late this evening."

"Sorry," she said. "I had no idea I was working that late until I was in the thick of it. Was in the field and got caught up." 

"Do anything fun?" Simon asked, before taking a long drink of his beer. 

"Got four drug dealers locked up," Liv said, casually. "What's for dinner?"

"We ordered pizza," Ames said.

Liv got up, stretching her legs and trying to quell the anxious energy within her. She was unsure how to handle herself. It had to have been a post adrenaline thing, she thought. Her mind was racing, and she felt an overwhelming combination of anxiety and overstimulation. 

She wanted desperately to smoke a cigarette, but Simon didn't know she smoked. She always tried to impress him, whether she admitted that to herself or not. She thought back, to a few years ago when she had first met the duo. She had initially approached Simon, who very suavely managed to set her up with Ames. And she'd been with him ever since. 

But she had always had a soft spot for Simon. When she was honest with herself, she knew she and Simon would never have gotten on. He was too flighty, too much of a free spirit. He was always traveling, never saw the same girl for more than a few times, and was generally just a flake.

As Ames was busy paying the kid that delivered dinner, Liv used some of her anxious energy to change out of her work clothes and into leggings and a t-shirt. Once dinner was on the table, she scarfed down two pieces of pizza and another glass of wine. The wine helped dull her anxiety, and she felt herself starting to wind down. 

"It was great to see you, Simon," Liv said, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "But I've had a long day. I think I should get to bed."

"Take care, Liv."

"I'll be in soon," Ames said, squeezing her hand.

She rifled through the drawer on Ames' side of the bed and grabbed the dark green bottle he kept a sleeping potion in. She normally avoided potions, but tonight she was eager for release from her endlessly spinning brain. She measured out the potion with the dropper cap, letting three full drops fall under her tongue. From there, the potion's bitterness escorted her to a dreamless sleep.

Liv woke up late- she was already supposed to be at work when her eyes opened and settled on the clock. "Fuck!"

She quickly showered, threw on acceptable work clothes, and made it to her desk only half an hour late. Her hair was still damp and she had yet to get coffee, but both of those obstacles were fixable. 

She peeked around her cube to see that Kensington was not in his office, not that he would have cared all that much. 

After putting her stuff down, she made her way to the break room in search of coffee. She decided it was the kind of day that required two cups of coffee on her desk. As soon as she was settled, she began to fill out forms related to closing the case.

"Double fisting this morning, Wellwood?" Potter asked, leaning over the top of her cube.

"Hey," she said. "Just absolutely wiped." 

"I should've warned you that you would be," he said. "Aurors go through special training on how to cope with post-adrenaline crash. I shouldn't have just let you leave last night."

She took an extra long sip of her first coffee, finishing it. His words validated the weird feeling that had inhabited her body over the last day. "Another cup and I'll be good as new."

He nodded. "Just got a memo from Rutherford, we're debriefing at three."

"Where?" She asked, writing it down.

"Conference Room Alpha."

"Got it, thanks."

She spent the majority of her day filling out the debriefing report. Kensington bothered her before the meeting, asking her to meet him in his office.

"What's up, Kensington?" She asked, before taking a big bite out of an apple.

"We normally don't like our Research Assistants acting as Aurors in the field," he said, the words slowly filling up the space between them.

She furrowed her brow, but couldn't conceal the defensive tone. "Even when they're instructed to, by Senior Aurors?"

Kensington put his hand up, to pause her. "I just wanted to open the dialogue with you, Wellwood."

"It's a better scenario than me disobeying orders from a superior and him going into the situation alone, isn't it? You _know_ Potter doesn't play by the Book of Best Practices."

"But I hold you to them," he said.

"Look," she said, standing up. "I never asked for Potter to be on this case, and I never asked for him to be out there observing next to me. I expressed my concerns about this from the beginning. I am not just going to sit here and be reprimanded by you for circumstances I advised against from the beginning of this entire case."

"Let me remind you that I am the supervisor here, Olivia," Kensington said. Her eyebrows raised in rage when he called her by her first name.

"Have you spoken to Potter about this?" she asked. "Have you heard his side of things?"

"Rutherford can handle his employees, I have no doubt in that. I thought we best discuss it between us in case it comes up as a full team at the debriefing."

"Fine. Are we done?"

Kensington nodded.

She walked out of his office, slamming the apple she'd taken one bite out of into the trash can just outside his door. The satisfying clunk of apple against metal pleased her, but only made her feel more eager to relieve the stress, anger, and frustration that was boiling up under her skin.

She was at the conference room first, a pad of parchment and her quill ready to take notes. She didn't want to wait for Kensington and walk in with him. Her body still felt flush with anger.

Potter and his boss, Rutherford, were the next in. Potter pulled out the chair next to hers and got comfortable, waiting for this meeting to begin. The leader of the team of Aurors who had combed the scene after them, Georgia Nuevo, took a seat next to Rutherford as they made small talk. Doug Spier, head of the legal department, ushered in one of his assistants, Bryce Darsyn, who had been assigned to work with the legal matters of the case. Finally, Kensington was the last one in, taking the open seat next to hers.

Everyone else in the room knew each other, and Liv knew she was lowest on the totem pole. She wasn't even _supposed_ to be there. "This is my most skilled Senior Researcher, Olivia Wellwood."

Everyone acknowledged her, and they were able to begin the meeting. Sometimes, working in a male dominated field really left her upset, as she was talked over twice before they even let her speak.

"So give us a rundown of the events, yesterday," Kensington prodded.

She and Potter both looked at each other, trying to decide who should speak first.

"Potter," he followed up.

"We'd been observing the block surrounding 1100 Rinaldi Street for nearly four hours," Potter said. "A sudden downpour forced us into a Muggle bus shelter, when we noticed the two suspects we'd been looking for over the prior two weeks walking past.

"We observed them from afar, when we noticed them break down their protective wards in broad daylight. They entered the house safely, without replacing their wards. At that point, I made the executive decision to go in after them, considering the ease with which it could be done."

"A slight… departure from Protocol," Rutherford said. Liv looked up to watch Rutherford and Kensington exchange a glance.

"Yes," Harry admitted. Liv was afraid of what was coming. Would they write her up, or worse, suspend her? Or Harry? Or even both of them?

"Which wards did they have protecting the residence?" Rutherford asked. Liv exhaled, hoping that was the end of that, though she wasn't sure she'd feel totally at ease until the meeting was adjourned

Liv scratched the nib of her quill lazily against the parchment as he answered with spells she was unfamiliar with.

"We entered the residence from the front door, calling for all occupants to put their wands on the ground. The two suspects we had watched enter the residence, along with one other associate, were mostly compliant. At that point, Wellwood noticed there was a fourth member of the operation on the stairs who had his wand fixed on me, and stupefied him.

"She assisted me in cuffing them, then retrieved the fourth member of the operation and cuffed him as well. At that point, I was in contact with Headquarters, and Nuevo's team prepared to take over. I handed the crime scene over to them, and Wellwood and I took the suspects to the holding cells for Krause to intake."

"And what did your team find, Nuevo?" Kensington asked.

"A rudimentary but successful operation for producing and distributing Category 2 illegal substances," she said. "We found approximately two stone worth of goods, two cauldrons worth brewing, and many ingredients to make more. They had an overwhelming amount of distribution supplies and paraphernalia."

Liv spaced out as they discussed details that had nothing to do with her work or impact on the case. There was a nagging anger begging at her to release it, but she knew better than that. She was quiet, scribbling in her notes, and occasionally looking up.

After what seemed like an impossibly long time, she heard the words she'd been waiting for. "I think that just about covers it. Anyone have further questions?"

Her eyes darted around the room, waiting for each person to shake their head _no_.

"Meeting adjourned, then." 

Harry was the first one up, and she followed him out, the other Department Heads continuing to chat about unrelated cases.

"I hope you weren't reamed out too badly for breaking protocol on my orders," he said to her.

She sighed, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I handled it," she said. "Were you given much trouble?"

He shrugged, and gave her a small smile. "Let's just say it's nothing I haven't heard before."

She shook her head, disapproving of his penchant for breaking the rules, but she couldn't help but smirk, before returning to her office.

"Let's get a drink," Potter said, appearing at her office door as the clock approached five.

"I'm not so sure..." she replied. She was too tense.

"C'mon," he said. "What are you going to do? Go home, wait for your boyfriend to come home, and do nothing about how crappy and pent up you feel?"

"Well, it sounded like less of a shit plan in my head..."

"I know a good place," he said. "And I won't keep you out all night, I'll get you home to your bloke."

She thought about it for a moment, and knew that deep down, she did not want to go home and sulk in her empty flat. Alone. "Alright. I'll go."

She grabbed her bag from her cube and met him in the Atrium. "Feel like walking? Or would you rather Floo?"

"Let's walk," she said. They made it above ground, and she followed him through the crowds of a busy London rush hour. It was too busy for their silence to be awkward. It all felt rather natural, actually.

**Author's Note: Apologies to anyone who got two notifications about this chapter this morning—FFN is not cooperating. I digress. Here's chapter four! Eternal gratitude to my beta, potter-reading-coastie. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and PMed me about this story, your feedback is so appreciated. Next chapter will be up Monday morning—and I think you're really going to enjoy it **


	5. Chapter 5

She realized they were heading towards Diagon Alley, and followed him as he ducked into The Leaky Cauldron. She had not been here in years.

"Harry!" the tall man behind the bar exclaimed as he dried off a pint glass by hand. "Good to see you, mate!"

It seemed that Potter knew him. He looked vaguely familiar, but she had no idea what his name was. 

"Hey, Neville," Potter said, happily. "Give Hannah the night off?"

"She wasn't feeling so well, told her I could handle things tonight," he explained. "Who've you got with you?" 

"Oh, right. Neville, this is Liv Wellwood, a colleague of mine from the Ministry."

"Nice to meet you," Liv said, extending her hand.

"Neville Longbottom. It's a pleasure," he said, warmly smiling at Liv. He was a friendly seeming bloke. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Oh, a glass of Moscato would be lovely, thank you, Neville."

"And the usual for you, Harry?"

"That would be great." They took seats at the bar while Neville got their drinks together.

Liv noticed that Potter's drink seemed to just be a Firewhiskey cocktail.

"The couple in that booth across from the fireplace are just finishing up, if you want somewhere a little more private to sit," Neville informed them.

They waited for the couple to get up, before Neville charmed the table clean. Privacy sounded great to her. 

They took the seats at the rather secluded booth, and she began fiddling with the small radio. She found the station broadcasting Ames' match, then turned it on low so she'd know if anything interesting happened.

"Still feeling crummy?" Potter asked. 

"I've never felt like this before," she said, quietly, her eyes wide. "I just have all this energy pent up... like I want to fight someone."

"It's post-adrenaline crash," Potter explained. "I'll fight you. C'mon, let's spar."

Liv laughed. "You'd never lay a hand on me, Potter."

"You're right."

"And certainly not in public. Can you imagine what the Prophet would say about that?"

He just sighed, his bluff having been called.

"How do you usually deal with this?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Doesn't hit me as hard as it used to. Go for a stupidly long jog. Stay up all night reorganizing the junk in my house. A good shag. Long flights on my broom in extreme weather."

She didn't have anything like that. Well, Ames was always up for a shag, but that didn't appeal to her much at the moment. He could never understand what was going on in her head. 

"So, torture yourself, basically," she said.

"If sex is torture, you're certainly dating the wrong bloke."

She blushed and finished her drink. Underneath the table, his knee brushed hers by accident, and she wondered if Potter would shag her, before she pushed that idea as far out of her head as it could go. It was the wine. And the adrenaline, surely. She was with Ames. She _loved_ Ames.

Neville came over. "Refill?"

A flash of mischief lit up her eyes. She needed a distraction. "Actually, I'll take a shot of firewhiskey. Up for the challenge, Potter?"

He looked at her, amused. "You know what, sure. Make that two, Neville."

"Be right back with those for you."

"You certainly like your alcohol," Potter said.

"I enjoy my vices on occasion," she mused. "I can hold it, though, don't worry."

"I'm not," he said. "But let's order dinner, I'm starving."

She grabbed the menu and flipped through it. In general, she tried to eat balanced meals. There was nothing on this menu that would satisfy that, it was traditional pub fare. She thought she deserved it.

Neville came back, dropping off the firewhiskey and taking their dinner orders. Liv lifted her shot glass up and clinked it against Potter's, before downing it in one sip.

She enjoyed the pleasant burn of the liquor on the way down, feeling it warm it's way down to her stomach. She laughed when he couldn't help but shudder at the strength of the shot.

"Come here often?" she asked. "You seem to know the place pretty well."

"Neville's a good friend from school, I enjoy patronizing his and Hannah's business." 

"Is that code for not being able to cook?"

"Well, my sandwiches certainly aren't up to your standards," he joked. "But I'm a good cook. I enjoy cooking... I just don't love cooking for one."

"Fair enough," she said. For a moment, she just savored the buzz she was gaining. She could feel the tension within her beginning to dissipate as she unwound with Potter. "How long's it been since the divorce?"

"Four years," he said. "But I'm sure you've read all about it in your tabloids."

"Oh yeah, big fan of Rita Skeeter's work," she joked. "It must be hard to fund your three kids by three different women in your bankruptcy." 

He smiled. "Only one kid."

She looked confused. "Wait, really?"

"No!" 

She couldn't help but laugh. "You can be an arse, Potter."

"So I've been told," he said. "You can call me Harry, y'know."

Before she responded, Neville was back to drop off their dinners and another glass of wine for Liv.

"This is delicious," she said, after diving into her shepherd's pie. It was rich and comforting, and exactly what she didn't know she needed.

"Yeah, the food here's top notch."

"It's better than my mum used to make it," she praised.

"That's a compliment?" 

"It was one of the three things she knew who to make. Shepherd's pie, soup, and mac and cheese. And sometimes she'd try to combine them, that didn't work so well." 

"No sandwiches?"

"Oh, no. I developed my sandwich making skills as a coping mechanism for her lack of talent in the kitchen," she explained between bites. "It's all about that meat to cheese ratio." 

"Maybe you could teach me sometime." 

She briefly wondered if he was flirting with her. But she didn't dwell on it. It had been far too long since she had been out to dinner and socializing. She found herself enjoying his company. It was taking her mind off work in a way she so desperately needed right now.

"Perhaps." 

"For someone so stiff and difficult in the office, you've unwound a lot the last few weeks." 

"I'm not there to make friends," she explained, pushing the last few bites of shepherd's pie around her plate. 

"Because they go and have kids and forget about you?"

She chewed on the inside of her lip. He was entirely right, and they both knew it. "Something like that."

The Quidditch match had started, and Liv fiddled with the volume dial, turning it up just a click. As Neville passed by, he replaced her empty glass with a full one.

"How long have you been dating him?"

"Three and a bit years?" she guessed. "Living together for most of it."

"That's important."

"Yeah," she said.

Their chatter flowed freely. They discussed their mutual hatred of this year's crop of interns, how nutty Rutherford and Kensington had been in the debriefing earlier. Potter was very careful not to mention the case directly to her, though, not wanting to bring back the flood of tension and anxiety caused by it.

She realized she was on the borderline of being too drunk, so she considered moving her half full glass of wine further out of reach. But ultimately, she was happier and more carefree with every sip, and wanted to keep going. "I'm absolutely lapping you here in drinks." 

He chuckled. "I can't even pretend I can keep up with you." 

"C'mon, a few more drinks and you'll be ready for midnight karaoke down the block..." 

"That sounds awful," he said. 

"It'll sound a lot better in a drink or four," she suggested. "Don't you want to hear me sing Warbeck songs and muck up all the lyrics while some fools laugh at me?" 

"Now that's a side of you I would not have been able to predict," he said. 

"Oh I haven't done that in years. But I could, is what I'm saying." 

"I'm positive you could." 

Neville swung by at that moment. "Can I get you two anything else? Another glass of wine?"

"I think we're all set for the evening, Nev. Just the check will do."

Neville set it down, and walked away. As Liv reached for her coin purse, Potter made a noise at her. "I invited you out, I'll cover it."

"I insist," she argued.

"Don't worry about it, Wellwood. Consider it a thanks for letting me tag along on your scouts. I know you were never pleased by the idea of someone else coming along."

"You were fine," she said. "Much better than the last wanker they let sit in on scouts with me."

"Who'd that be?"

"Pierson Dunhill."

He made a face and she couldn't help but laugh. "Well, that's understandable. He's awful, off or on the field."

Potter left a generous tip on the table, then turned to her. "You ready to call it a night?"

She had just heard the game end on the radio, and decided it was a good time to go her own way. "Yeah." 

She stood up, and all at once the alcohol hit her _hard_. She took a deep breath and braced herself against the wall.

"You alright?"

"I may have had more to drink than I thought," she said quietly. "I'm sure I'll be fine, just need to walk it off." 

"If you apparate right now, you're going to splinch yourself." 

"Who really needs ten toes anyways?"

"Here, I'll take you back to my place and we'll get you sobered up."

He saw vulnerability in her eyes. The vulnerability of a woman who had too much to drink who was unsure about going home with a far more sober man. He immediately backed off. "Or- just tell me where you live-"

"Sobering up sounds good," she said. "Thank you, Harry." 

It sounded weird to call him by his first name, but she did it anyways. She was actually grateful.

"You okay to walk?" he asked. "The fresh air might do you some good."

She nodded, and took a deep breath. She felt her cheeks warm in embarrassment. He had truly gotten her to let her guard down.

"It's about ten minutes away," he said, once they had entered the Muggle part of London.

"Never would have guessed you lived with the Muggles."

"Oh, absolutely," he said. "And my wards are second to none."

"Cocky git," she said. They turned down Grimmauld Place, and she was slightly amazed at the intricate architecture. It made her modern apartment building look rather dumpy. They walked a few more blocks, before he stopped between two houses and took out his wand.

He nudged her to step forward, between the two houses, as he undid the wards and protections on the house. The charms on this house made McCain's house look barbaric. An extra stoop revealed itself to them, and she followed him up and into the house.

"Perhaps you were right," she said. "That was quite impressive."

The house was dimly lit, and a bit dusty. Far larger than any house she had been to in awhile, and there was so much character. "It's, well, not much..."

"The architecture is amazing," she said, running her fingers lightly over the intricately patterned wallpaper. She followed him into the kitchen. "It reminds me of this place my mum rented for us, the summer before Seventh Year, out in Surrey..."

"You grew up in Surrey too?"

"Well, parts of it," she said. "Mum moved us around a lot, but she really liked Surbiton."

He looked at her, hoping she would continue talking. When it was clear she caught herself and was not going to continue her thoughts, he moved to the stove.

"How about a cup of tea?" he asked, putting the kettle on. The kitchen was huge. It easily had enough room to hold thirty people. "Grab me two teacups from the cupboard." 

She went over and examined all the intricate China, before selecting two teacups. "Are you related to the Blacks?"

"Oh, that was my godfather's," he said. "I inherited the house from him. I... haven't done much to the place." 

"I couldn't tell," she said sarcastically. The entire house needed a good dusting, and maybe some new lighting fixtures...

"Sugar?" 

"Just a cube, please."

"Cream?" 

She made a face. "Not in tea."

He smiled. "I'm not a fan either," he said. "Let's go into the sitting room, much nicer in there."

Across the hall, it actually looked like he'd put some thought into the room. The furniture was new, the fireplace looked well-tended to, and there were even a few lamps. She got cozy on the couch, pulling a knit blanket over her legs. He sat on the other end of the couch, legs up on the table in front of them.

She took a moment to look at the few photos he had on the mantle. A photo of him at Ron and Hermione's wedding, hugging both his friends tightly. Another with him and a small boy, on the beach.

"My godson, Teddy."

"Ah," she said, taking a sip of tea as the room got spinny. It was too hot, but as sweet as she liked it.

"Perhaps you'll give me a real tea reading tonight?" He asked.

"I think that can be arranged," she said, figuring she owed him that much. "Your place is nice. It's cozy."

He shrugged. "It's fine for just me"

"Could use a dusting."

"You're probably right."

He finished the rest of the tea, then handed her his cup. She turned it slowly in her hands, studying the patterns of swirls in the leaves. She could already feel herself gaining some clarity. The night air and tea helped her regain her wits.

"Well, first of all," she said. "I see you the leaves say you need to cut back on the number of sugar cubes you put in your tea."

"They do not!" he said. "I thought you were going to give me a real reading this time."

"I'm being serious! It's right here in the leaves," she said, pointing to show him, but she couldn't keep the smile fully off her face.

"What else?" he asked.

She spun it once more, trying to decide between two different interpretations that the leaves were hinting. "You have an opportunity coming up in the next lunar cycle…"

"A good one?"

"Yeah," she said. "It's going to be a situation where you have a lot of influence, but it's going to be good for everyone involved."

"Interesting…" he said, peaking at the cup to see if he could get anything out of there.

"An acquaintance of yours is ill, but hasn't told you yet," she said. "It doesn't look like they're going to die, just struggle for a bit before getting back on their feet again."

"Oh, swell," he said. "Let me have a go at yours."

She finished her tea, and handed him the cup. He looked at it intently, studying it as he turned it slowly in his hands. "I see…"

He trailed off, but kept spinning. "Fuck, I haven't done this since Third Year. I've no idea what I'm looking at."

She laughed and grabbed it from him. "I think it says that I'm very grateful for your company and hospitality this evening, but it's getting late and I should probably head home."

"With all your limbs?" he asked. "And toes?"

"Yeah, I'm good to travel now," she said, standing up and stretching. She took their cups into the kitchen and charmed them to wash themselves. "Thanks for inviting me out. I needed that."

"Me too," he said, looking down at his feet. "Well, have a good night, Wellwood."

"You can call me Liv," she said, grasping the door handle in her right hand. "Good night."

She stepped outside to apparate home. The exhaustion hit her once she had slipped her shoes off and placed them by the door. From the pile of Quidditch gear strewn across the living room, she figured Ames was home. She peaked in the bedroom and saw his form under the blanket, snoring away, so she slipped off her clothes and crawled in bed beside him.

**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and PMed me about this story so far. I really appreciate all the feedback! Evergreen gratitude to my awesome beta, potter-reading-coastie. I'll be back with the next installment of Liv's story on Wednesday morning, but in the meantime, I'd be super grateful if you left a comment telling me what you think so far! **


	6. Chapter 6

"Someone was out late last night," Ames said, opening the blinds.

Liv groaned and covered her eyes. "I'm not ready to get up."

"Too bad, love," he said. "We've got a wedding to get ready for."

She grabbed the pillow and covered her head with it. "Fucking Finnegan."

Ames laughed at her, but she didn't find it funny. She just wanted to sleep more. A quick peek at the clock said it was only ten. She could afford another hour or two of sleep and still look acceptable for the wedding.

"C'mon, love," Ames said, getting back on the bed and moving on hands and knees towards her. "I don't want to tickle you.."

"Do. Not." she said, leaving no mistake that she was not in the mood. She pulled the pillow off her head and sat up before he could get to her.

He ruffled her hair and kissed the top of her head before pulling her close to him. "And what was my girl doing that she was out so late last night?"

She was hesitant to tell him that she had spent all night drinking with Harry, because she was afraid he wouldn't understand why she was in need of such company. "Some coworkers and I went out for drinks to celebrate closing out that case."

"Sounds like fun. Should've let me know, I would've joined you for a post game drink."

"It was pretty impromptu. I don't think you would've liked it."

He shrugged, and leaned in to kiss her. She got caught up in the embrace for a moment, enjoying the minty taste of his lips and the smell of his aftershave…

"I have an idea," she said.

"I'm listening…"

"You," she said, poking him in the chest. "Go make me some breakfast, and I will go take a shower."

Ames chuckled. "I'm not sure how I benefit from this idea."

"Well, your date tonight won't have dirty, crazy bed head."

He nodded. "Alright, I guess you've talked me into it."

She showered, ate breakfast, and began to get ready. All the Quidditch girlfriends and wives would be there, which meant she needed to look her best. She didn't usually spend much time on a beauty routine.

She sat at her vanity, which was usually a decorative piece, rather than functional one. A quick coat of mascara, a light dusting of blush and setting powder, and a bit of dark red lipstick made her look polished. She took the time to curl her hair, tying the top half up so it would cascade down her back. Then she took out her perfume, the one she saved for special occasions, and spritzed some on her wrists and collarbones.

"Almost ready?" Ames asked, returning to the room to get dressed. He opened the wardrobe to gather the pieces of his suit.

"Just got to put my dress on," she said, sliding the dressing gown off. She picked a strapless bra out of her lingerie drawer and fastened it. "Hand it to me? It's in the garment bag."

He handed it to her, and she unfurled the knot at the bottom of the bag to reveal her choice for today's festivities: a silky, light pink dress.

"Who are you, and what have you done with my girlfriend?" Ames asked, in shock.

"I thought it was pretty!" she said, defensively.

"It's beautiful," he said. "But just a departure from… navy blue and purple."

"Oh shush," she said, slipping into it. He'd asked for something seasonal, and that's what she'd picked. While true, most of her gowns were jewel tones, she could take night off from them. She turned around, her back towards him. "Zip me in, will you?"

"You look great, love," he said, pulling her to him.

She smiled and looked down. He moved in to kiss her, but she backed up. "I don't think you want to show up to the wedding with lipstick all over your face."

He sighed. "Pick a tie for me?"

She opened the wardrobe and thumbed through his plentiful ties, plucking a navy blue one with pink accents. "This will do nicely."

He was waiting for her to do it for him, so she stood on her tiptoes and tied it around his neck. He looked incredibly sharp in his suit. "Are you sure we've got to go to the ceremony? We can't just show up at cocktail hour?"

"Now," she said. "If you'd let me sleep late, it might have been an option."

Ames rolled his eyes. "Simon's meeting us here anyways."

Ames went into the bathroom to fix his hair, while she packed a small purse. She heard the rattling of the Floo, and stuck her head out of the bedroom. "Hi Simon!"

"What are you wearing?"

"That's a great pick up line," Liv said. "You should definitely use that on every single woman you meet tonight. Guarantee it's a success."

Simon laughed. "I'm just not sure I've ever seen you wear pink, that's all. Jacoby, you seen this?"

Ames had finished slicking his hair back and had joined them in the living room, and his only reaction was to laugh. "I had the same reaction you did, mate."

"Have we got to go the wedding ceremony?" Simon asked, half-whining. "Open bars and single women are the only good part of weddings."

Liv rolled her eyes, herding the men towards the Floo. "C'mon you two, or we're going to be late."

He spotted her from across the large room full of people. She looked beautiful, her long, dark hair loosely curled so it framed her pale face. The dress she was wearing—with its thin straps that dove into a plunging neckline, before flaring out, looked like it was made for her.

She was with two blokes—the taller of whom was definitely her boyfriend. He had his arm around her as the three of them walked to the bar. The tan one with curly hair said something to her that made her roll her eyes in a way he was very familiar with.

Once she was at the bar, her company joined the group of Quidditch men gathering around it. This was certainly the start of a multi-hour, alcohol fueled party for them. He was familiar with the ritual. She gave it a few moments, before quietly leaving her boyfriend and getting a drink of her own.

The way her dress moved with her body was stunning, and he found himself entranced by his new friend. There was something about Liv that intrigued him greatly. Although he was too far away to approach her now, he began to think of a way to approach her later. She captivated him in a way he had not felt for a long time.

"Who've you got your eyes on?" Hermione asked, smirking.

Ron followed her gaze. "Oh god, not her."

Hermione glanced at him, inquisitively.

"This absolute ogre that works in research," he explained.

"She is not an ogre," Harry said, putting his hands up. "She's a bit rough around the edges. Once you get to know her, she's really quite..."

"Do you fancy this girl, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "She's in a committed relationship."

"That's not what I asked," she said, knowingly.

"You should keep away from her, mate," Ron said. "Kensington might have your head."

"Probably right," Harry said. "But- I could use a drink."

Liv worked the crowd, saying hello to all the girlfriends and wives of the players she knew. She got stuck in a group of about four women at one point, as Paisley Pappell was in the middle of a story Liv had stopped listening to a few minutes ago. She forced a laugh as the rest of the women laughed along with Paisley.

This was the place to be tonight. Half the Quidditch community was there, if not more. The hall was decorated exquisitely, with fairy lights all over, washing the hall in a romantic glow she found charming. Waiters in suits walked around with hors d'oeuvres on trays, offering guests bites of fine foods. She grabbed a mini-quiche as one walked past, popping it in her mouth.

Across the very full hall, she locked contact with a pair of familiar green eyes and smiled. He tipped his head in her direction, then to the bar. "I mean, can you believe it? I'm standing there, in the middle of the shop, dress half sewn on, and—"

Liv excused herself from what was surely a very interesting story from Paisley. Nearly every atom in her body would rather make small talk with Potter than listen to the Quidditch wives bitch about everything.

She made her way to the bar, meeting him there. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"I was a classmate of Finnegan's," he explained. "Good guy. How'd you get invited?"

"He and Ames play together," she said. "But really, I'm just here for the cake."

"Ah," he said. "Where is this boyfriend of yours?"

"Probably up to no good with the rest of 'em," she said. "No date for you?"

"Nah, I never bring a date to things like this," he said. "Why give you something to read about in the paper Monday?"

She chuckled.

"Want anything to drink?" he asked.

"I think I drank enough last night for the entire weekend," she declared. "But cranberry and soda water would be lovely."

He ordered for them both, as they leaned against the bar and chatted. All of the sudden, Ames and about six other men from his team charged the bar, looking for a bottle of firewhiskey.

"Oh, love," Ames said, pulling her close to him. From the smell of his breath on her, he was already drunk. "Where've you been?"

"I've been working the crowd," she said. "This is Harry Potter, we worked together on that case I closed this week."

Ames stuck his hand out to shake Harry's. "It's a pleasure."

Harry nodded. "Same."

"Livvy, want to come outside and get toasted with the blokes and I?"

She laughed. "Y'know, I think I'm all set, but you have fun."

"Thanks love," he said, kissing her. "Nice to meet you, Potter."

He waved to her as he rejoined his group of oversized children with access to large quantities of alcohol. There was an awkward silence between them for a moment.

"Livvy?" he finally asked.

She scowled. "He's drunk."

"I get the feeling he's going to be quite drunk this evening," Potter said.

"You were a Quidditch spouse for years. You know how it is," she said. "I'll take him home and make sure he brings all his limbs with him and do the best I can to minimize his hangover. Just as a nice friend did for me yesterday."

Potter smiled. "It was nothing, really."

"It means a lot," she said.

"I just would never hear the end of it if Kensington knew you'd splinched yourself in my presence."

She groaned. "I don't want to hear a single thing about the Ministry tonight."

A waiter passed them, and she plucked two pieces of bruschetta off, offering one to Harry. "You're here with your friends, aren't you?"

"Yes," he said. "Ron and Hermione are both here, we were all classmates with Finnegan."

"Well, please don't let me keep you from them," she said. "I can keep listening to the Quidditch wives complain about things. I've nearly perfected my sympathetic nod."

Another waiter came by, offering them flutes of champagne, which she couldn't resist taking. "Probably less terrible than listening to how many Quidditch husbands were cheating on their wives."

Her eyes widened. "How awful… You never…?"

"Absolutely not," he said. She figured he hadn't, and felt slightly rude for asking. "But Ron and Hermione are fine by their own. They know loads of people here. Plus, I'd hate to subject you to listening to how the house elf is leaving fingerprints on the silver again."

"Appreciate it," she said. "And I'm sorry I asked."

He shrugged, and genuinely smiled. "Nothing to worry about at all."

For a moment, she just took in the chaos around them, as the Quidditch men were certainly up to no good, in and out side, and their women were patiently ignoring their husbands' behavior while chatting in small clusters throughout the bar area.

In the main hall, the band started up, and people generally shifted towards it. The slow music filled the entire glass hall, as the lights dimmed. The twinkly lights overhead cast a warm glow on the hall, and Liv couldn't help but smile at how beautiful it all was. The dance floor slowly began to fill.

"Care to dance?" he asked.

She was a bit surprised to be asked.. "Y'know, this is the part of the evening I'm usually quite glad my boyfriend's up to no good, because I'm not entirely sure how."

"It's okay, I'll lead," he said. "Or you don't have to…"

"Let's do it," she said. She put her empty champagne glass on a passing waiter's tray and joined him on the dance floor, clasping her right hand in his and resting her left hand on his shoulder.

"You've got it," he said, cupping his hand around her bare shoulder. "Now just follow me."

They moved in a square shape for a few turns so she could get comfortable, then began to move around the dance floor. "You're surprisingly good at this."

He laughed. "So aren't you."

"He fancies her," Hermione said, from across the dance room.

"You think?" Ron asked, scanning the crowd for him. Towards the edge of the group on the dance floor, he was slowly dancing with Wellwood.

She watched the way Harry was touching her, gingerly. The spoke softly to each other, far too soft for them to make out, but his eyes were happy. "Without a doubt."

"She walks around the Ministry like Crookshanks after a bath," he said.

"She's looked perfectly pleasant this evening," she reminded her husband. "Give her a chance, Ron. He hasn't expressed interest in anyone since Ginny, and it's been years."

He grumbled something quietly to her, then pulled her off in search of another salmon puff.

Liv enjoyed dancing with Harry. He was a good lead, and kept things at a pace she could follow. She didn't even mind being so close to him. She stopped keeping track of the music, and just followed his lead when it was time to switch things up.

"May I cut in?" The question startled her, so she broke the pose with Harry and turned around.

"Simon! Of course," she said. "You don't mind, do you, Harry?"

"Not at all," he said, backing away. "I'll catch up with you later, Liv."

She smiled at him as he walked away, before she resumed dancing with Simon. Almost immediately, the music picked up, but Simon tried to lead her through the fast paced song.

"Where did you learn how to dance like this?" she asked him. It was far more advanced than the simple waltz she'd enjoyed with Harry.

"Remember that girl I was dating two summers ago? Mia?" he asked. "Or maybe Carenna. I forget which one. She was into this sort of thing."

She laughed. "I can only remember about a year's worth of your girlfriends at a time, Simon."

He spun her around, and caught her to end the dance. She didn't particularly like being airborne for a few seconds, so she backed away. "I think that's enough dancing for now."

"I was just getting started," he said.

"Maybe you can find a nice single girl to dance with and take home," Liv reminded him.

"You're a better wingman than your lesser half, Liv."

"I won't tell him that," she said.

"Well, it's hard to help a bloke out when you're plastered before dinner."

She groaned. "He's going to be so hungover tomorrow."

"You're free to send him back to my place," Simon offered. "I'll tell him to quit being a pussy and suck it up in the morning."

She laughed. "You think that's going to work out well on Ames?"

"Nah," he said, and they both laughed.

"Where is he, anyways?"

"Last time I saw him, he was outside with the rest of his team," Simon said.

She glanced around the room and noticed that a few of Ames' team members had rejoined the party, yet he was nowhere to be found.

"I'm going to go look for him," she said. "Just see what he's up to. Why don't you go hit on… that girl."

She gestured towards a short blonde woman that had been hanging around the bar for a while. Simon's eyes lit up. "Good taste, Liv."

She went out the French doors onto the patio. There were a few people out here, but she spotted Ames at the end of it, holding onto a bar table but not looking too steady.

"How're you doing?" she asked, approaching him. He leaned over and vomited what appeared to be straight firewhiskey. She cringed at what had splashed onto her feet, trying not to gag herself.

"I don't feel so good," he said.

"Where'd the other Quidditch blokes go?" she asked, upset. "Who decided to just leave you here like this?"

"I told them I'd be fine," he said, holding his nose. "It burns."

"Alright, let's get you home," she said, sighing. She had really been looking forward to the large cake that had been sitting in one corner of the main hall, but it was more important that Ames didn't make a fool of himself in front of his colleagues.

"I'm fine," he said. "Just give me a little more time out here, I'll be ready to go inside soon."

"Ames," she said, sternly. "You've got vomit all over your suit. You've got vomit on me. This isn't a question, we've got to get you home."

"I told you, I don't want to go home," he said, loudly. The people on the other side of the patio turned to look at them, and she felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment. Luckily, the clinking of glasses inside meant their attention was diverted and they moved towards the commotion.

"Please," she pleaded, grabbing his arm.

He thwacked his arm free from her grip, but his drunken lack of coordination meant his hand collided with her cheek and she took a few steps back to steady herself. She saw the shock on his face, and didn't care one bit.

The instinct to flee overcame her. She bolted off the patio, not wanting to make a scene but wanting to get the hell out of there. She clutched her stinging face for a minute, but then realized how odd it would look and just dealt with the pain until she could get to the fireplace to Floo.

She landed on the floor of their flat, unable to even keep herself upright. She took a deep breath, trying to decide if she was going to cry or not. She didn't want to cry over this. She couldn't let herself be that person.

She stood up and charmed the Floo sealed, so Ames wouldn't come home tonight. She knew he wouldn't apparate drunk. Someone else, probably Simon, would make sure he found somewhere warm to sleep. She couldn't focus on him anymore tonight.

She slipped off her nasty smelling, vomit covered shoes, chucking them in the rubbish bin as she walked past. It was tricky to get the dress unzipped by herself, but she managed, and threw it immediately in the washer, praying the stains would come out. She felt rather beautiful in that dress, and wanted to wear it again. It needed to be associated with better memories.

She wrapped her silk dressing gown around herself, and opened the door to the patio. She felt no guilt over chain smoking tonight. Faint light from her bedroom streamed out, illuminating the swirls of smoke against the dark London landscape.

It took her a good half hour to calm down to any sort of functional level, at which she decided it was time for a shower to wash this day away. She turned the water as hot as it would go, and stepped in. It felt good, especially against her sore and swollen face. She let the steaming droplets of water drip down her back until she couldn't stand it another second.

Ten minutes later, Liv was sitting on the couch in her dressing gown, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do. She had no friends to turn to. Harry was at the party. Her friendship with Holly was a lost cause. It was unfair to call upon Simon when he was Ames' best friend.

She had no one.

She poured herself a small glass of white wine out of the open bottle in their fridge, and fiddled with the radio dial, trying to find some sort of distraction.

The Floo rattled, and she was worried for a second. However, it didn't sound like the force of a human coming through, so she nervously opened it. A small white box appeared.

She immediately sealed the Floo again, and picked up the white box with caution. She opened the lid, to see a generously sized piece of cake from the wedding, all boxed up just for her.

She knew exactly who had done that for her. At first, she felt shame for Harry knowing she left the party and guessed he had a good guess as to what happened. But she was incredibly grateful of this kind gesture, and dove into the cake immediately, eating every single bite in the box.

She eventually fell asleep, all entrances to the flat locked, which made her feel safe.

**Author's Note: An extra-long chapter to boost your humpday blues! Many thanks to the world's best beta, potter-reading-coastie. Enjoying the fic so far? I'd be delighted if you left a review! Next chapter will be up Friday morning. **


	7. Chapter 7

She woke up in the middle of the bed, noting how comfortable it was to spread out exactly how she wanted.

The events of the night before, and her shameful departure, filled her mind and she sighed. Gingerly touching her face, she could tell it was swollen and sore. She touched her feet to the ground, and got up. It was nearly ten in the morning.

The flat was empty, just how she wanted it. She peeked outside the flat using the peep hole, but no one was around. That quelled the anxious knot in her stomach, though she knew at some point she would have to deal with Ames.

She checked the fridge, noting how empty it was, before pulling a slice of cold pizza out of the box. It was a few days old, but definitely still edible. She walked around the apartment, wearing just a bra and underwear, eagerly eating a slice of pizza. She was sure she looked a mess.

What was she supposed to do? She was reminded that she had not a single person she felt comfortable confiding her issues in. Did she want to stay with Ames? She was unsure. It was her longest relationship, but what did that mean, _really_? Was that reason enough to shut up and take his abuse? She didn't want to become anyone's punching bag.

In the bathroom, she took a look at her face for the first time. Her cheek was starting to turn an ugly yellow color, and the puffiness spread up to her eye. In time, that would darken too. These marks would be harder for her to cover.

She decided she didn't particularly feel like doing anything this morning, so she climbed back into bed with a garbage romance novel. A little after noon, she heard the Floo rattle, as Ames was bounced off it. She still wasn't ready to see him or have the conversation that needed to be had, so she left it locked. However, that did not stop him; he tried to make it through two more times before it went silent.

Twenty minutes later, she heard the flat's front door open. She couldn't keep him from using his key. Knowing she would have to face him, she slipped her dressing robe on and left the bedroom.

"The fucking Floo's broken," he said, as soon as he saw her.

"No, it's not," she said, boldly. "I locked you out."

He looked at her quizzically, and she knew he saw the swollen state of her face. A silence overcame them.

"I drank way too much last night," he said, apologetically.

She nodded, her arms crossed.

"And I'm really sorry about how I treated you."

She didn't say anything. An apology would not do it for her. She needed real change if there was any hope for them to work out.

"Well?" He asked, after a considerable time.

"I think you should go stay with Simon for a few days," she said. "Go pack yourself a bag. I don't want you here."

"Liv, love-" he pleaded. "Please listen to me, I'm so sorry, I had far too much alcohol in my system to think straight-"

"I don't care," she said. "That's the second time you've hurt me, Ames. I am not going to be in a relationship with someone who hurts me. I don't think that's asking for too much."

"It will never happen again, I promise you, Liv-"

"Please," she said, her voice wavering as she tried not to succumb to tears. "Just pack a bag and get out. I need a few days to think."

He seemed to accept this, as she locked herself on the balcony and smoked. Through the French doors, she could see him place his things in a duffel bag. When he was done, he took a step towards her, but she just shook her head, and he got the hint.

As soon as she was sure she had heard the door to the flat shut, she crushed the cigarette on the ground, and returned inside, where she promptly dove into bed and cried.

The next morning, she got to work early, hoping to score a new case from Kensington to busy her mind. She'd put plenty of ice on her face and covered the discoloration as best she could. Hopefully no one would look too closely at her today.

She hoped Potter would be in his office, so she could thank him for the cake, but found it empty. His secretary, Taryn had just sat down. "Tell him I stopped by."

She got to her desk, grabbed a cup of coffee, and got to work opening the letters and departmental notes she had neglected last Friday. That took her all of about twenty minutes, before she began wondering where the hell Kensington was. He had yet to come in, and he wasn't marked as having requested it off. The man hadn't taken a sick day in years.

She supposed she could... talk to one of her coworkers. On her way back from getting another cup of coffee, she stopped into the office of her colleague, Ben Houston. He had started at the ministry the year after she had, and been promoted ages after her, yet he was the one with an office with a door. She tried not to resent him too much. She wasn't great at it.

"Houston," she said. "Any clue where Kensington is?"

He looked up from an old, dusty book. "You'd know better than me."

"Thank you for your exceptional help," she said sarcastically, leaving his office quickly.

Since she had no case to work on, and all her administrative tasks were fulfilled, she decided it was time for a project. The files behind her cubicle, but in front of Kensington's office had been long neglected. It was time to throw out the out of date records. This was intern level work, but she needed something to keep her hands busy today.

She dragged the empty trash can from outside Kensington's office over to the nook of shelves that held boxes of records. She started with a box she was pretty sure Houston had dumped back there last week, sitting cross legged on the floor to begin sorting.

Files about cases closed before she even worked at the Ministry? In the trash. Cases without proper status reports in five years? To the side for her to throw away later. Files that had become so faded and worn that they were no longer legible? Well, those would get dropped off for an intern to duplicate.

She stood up on the balls of her feet to grab the next batch of files, a dusty and deformed box that had been there as long as she could remember. It was a little too far of a stretch for her, but she wiggled the box out slowly, before it came crashing down, causing her to lose her balance.

She landed on her ass, in a cloud of dust from the box. Her white shirt was a casualty of the fall, and she didn't even care. She couldn't help but laugh at the entire situation. Her life was in such ruins right now, she couldn't even be mad about this. She laughed at the absurdity of it all.

"What in the hell's going on here?" Potter asked playfully. She'd been too distracted to notice him approach, but he became visible as the dust cleared.

"I got bored," she said. "Kensington is MIA, I needed something to do, and apparently my mere existence is attracting chaos this week."

"I'd say," he said, laughing. "Want a hand up?"

"That'd be great," she said, accepting his hand. She brushed off as much dust as possible before realizing it was a useless endeavor.

"Taryn said you'd stopped by," he said.

"Oh," she said. "I just wanted to thank you for the cake. That meant a lot to me."

"Wasn't a problem at all," he said. He touched his face in the same spot hers was swollen and bruised, though she'd been wishing he wouldn't notice. She should've known him better than that by now.

She looked down. "There wasn't a scene Saturday night, was there?"

He shook his head. "I think most people were too busy to notice."

She sighed, and rubbed her shoe at a scuff on the floor.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly," she said. "I've sent him off to stay at a friend's while I decide what to do. Relationships are just... really hard."

"Only as hard as you allow them to be," he said.

"Says the bachelor," she said, turning back to her boxes of files.

"I was married once," he said, defensively. "I've been knee deep in the muck, Liv. But there's certain things worth wading through, and some things that just plain aren't."

"I know your feelings on the situation," she said.

"You are so incredibly stubborn," he sighed.

"Never said I wasn't," she had turned away from him almost completely, not wanting to have this conversation, especially not _here_.

"I guess I'm just not sure why you stay with him-"

"Excuse me," she said, facing him again, her hand on her hip. "Since when is that your business?"

"Everything alright here?"

They both turned to see Rutherford, Harry's boss, behind them, looking very inquisitive as to the conversation he walked in on.

"My apologies, sir. Just following up with Wellwood on something, but I'm available now."

"Actually," Rutherford said. "I'm not here to meet with you."

Harry and Liv exchanged an intrigued look.

"Is your schedule free, Olivia?"

"Erm," she took a second, looking around at the mess she had made to decide. "Yes, I suppose so."

"Good," he said. "Meet me in my office in about ten minutes? Perhaps with less dust?"

"I will... do my best," she said.

After they both watched him walk away, they turned to each other, prior argument long-forgotten.

"Have you got any idea what that's about?" she asked.

"Not a single clue," he said.

"I'm trying to think of what I could have done to be in trouble," she pondered. "I was rude to Houston this morning..."

"Is that new?" He asked. "Everyone's rude to him, he's a prick."

She shrugged. "Could I be in trouble for hanging out with you on Friday?"

"Coworkers socialize all the time," he said. "Kensington ever give you a hard time about socializing with Evanson?"

She looked down. "No..." she trailed off. "But why is your boss wanting to speak with me privately?"

"I really dunno what to tell you, Liv," Harry said. "He's a reasonable man, I'm sure it's nothing big. Go dust yourself off and tell me what it was about later."

She listened to him, trying to look as presentable as possible, but her heart beat fast in her chest as she walked to Rutherford's office.

"You wanted to see me?" She asked, as she stood in her doorway.

"Yes, please come in. Shut the door, if you don't mind."

Shutting the door made her even more worried, but she did it before sitting in the chair in front of his desk. In front of him, she could see her employee file on the desk. Was she getting fired?

"Thank you for meeting with me, Olivia," he said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Especially on such short notice."

"It wasn't a problem." She did not like being addressed by her first name, especially by someone she wasn't familiar with, but out of fear of being in trouble, she kept her mouth shut. "What did you want to discuss, Rutherford?"

"Kensington is going to be out of work for the foreseeable future."

That was certainly not what she was expecting. "What do you mean?"

"He appears to have come down with Dragon Pox," Rutherford said.

"Oh shit," she said, then realized how unprofessional that was. "Excuse me..."

Rutherford laughed. "Not to worry, that was my reaction as well."

Her mind was moving fast. She had not known a Ministry without Kensington. "How quickly can you hire someone to replace him?"

"That's actually why I wanted to speak to you," he said. "When I talked to Kensington a bit this morning, you were his recommendation to fill his role for the time being."

She couldn't help but laugh. This was a joke. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Something about your tenacious attitude..."

"Bradley's been here longer than me," she said. "And Houston's got an office- I mean, isn't that a sign of seniority?"

"Do you not want to fill in for him?" Rutherford asked.

"I..." she trailed off. "I think I do. I am just concerned that I don't have the proper training for this."

"I'll work closely with you, of course," he said. "The Head of Legal will too. It's a team effort here, we understand there's going to be a learning curve but I think that if Kensington thinks you're the right person for the job, you are."

"Okay then," she said, her mind soaring. "I accept it then."

"Great," he said. "That makes my job far easier... I'm going to send you upstairs to the Administrative department, they've got to give you clearances for a bunch of new things. You might be there awhile."

She just nodded, her mind too busy to really listen to him.

"I'm going to be sending out a departmental memo so that everyone is aware of what's going on," he said. "After that, you're free to move your things into Kensington's office. It will be professionally cleaned by the time you're ready."

"Alright," she said. "This is good."

"I think so," he said. "Now go on upstairs, I'll let them know to expect you. Oh, and make sure that cubby with all the boxes is cleaned up."

"Thanks," she said, getting up and leaving. "I'll be in touch."

She got up, and walked deliberately past Harry's office. He looked up as she passed, and she cocked her head to the side. She knew he would follow her.

She wasn't supposed to tell anyone yet, but she couldn't keep this secret. She just couldn't. She walked up a flight of stairs, then waited for Potter to catch up with her.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Is there anywhere to speak privately?" she asked, keeping her voice down as others passed.

"Yes," he said. "My office."

"No," she hissed. "Outside the department."

"I'm sure we can find somewhere."

She followed him through the unfamiliar floor, as he checked doorknobs until he found an empty, unlocked conference room. "What's going on?"

"Kensington's sick," she said. "Too sick to work, and they want me to fill in until he's well again."

"That's fantastic!" he said, genuine happiness radiating off his face.

"He has dragon pox," she said. "And I was such an arse to him last week."

"He'll make a recovery," Harry reminded her. "You know there's been medical advancements, he'll be fine."

She was quiet, just pacing around the small room.

"Plus, he's been working with you for ages… I'm sure he hasn't taken you seriously when you're an arse for years."

"I'm not qualified for this," she said. "I don't have the skills for this. I'm not a people person."

He laughed at her, and she turned around quickly, the look on her face _scathing _which really just made it funnier. "That's what you're worried about?"

"It's not funny!"

He just shook his head at her. "A little more confidence would suit you, Wellwood."

She wrinkled her face, but had nothing to say. "My life is so crazy right now, I can't even process things. I don't do change well."

"I see that," he said, gently. He looked at her. "It's a role you can grow into, Liv, and you have a department's worth of people backing you up. I can't think of a single person more qualified for this than you."

She blushed, not used to receiving praise.

"Believe me, I rolled my eyes hard when I saw we were working together on that case," he said, "But you blew me away with your research skills… and I know you have it in you to grow into the managing people thing. Look how much you've warmed up to me."

"Out of necessity," she said, with a small smile.

"Well consider this necessity as well," he said, putting his arm on her shoulder.

She let a long time pass as she paced the small room, aching for a cigarette. "You're right."

"Where'd Rutherford send you?"

"Administrative," she said.

"Right, you'll need clearances and a new badge," he said. "Let me fix up your face, okay? You don't want to see that every time you look at your badge."

He was right, so she shut up and closed her eyes while she felt her skin tighten. It still hurt, but the swelling had gone down, at least for now. She touched it, feeling that everything was back where it belonged. "Thank you."

She made her way to the Administrative office, where she spent the next few hours, getting fingerprinted and cleared for the privileges she needed to do her new job. It was all so weird. She went through the motions, doing everything they asked of her, but the reality of it all had yet to sink in.

By the time she returned back to the department, Rutherford had sent the notice out and everyone looked at her a little differently as she returned to her cube. Harry had gone home for the day, but he'd left a note on her desk telling her she knew where to find him if she wanted company. She thought about it, but crumpled the note and put it in the trash. She still remembered the stray thought that had crossed through her mind last week when they were out to drinks, and didn't trust herself enough. She wasn't thinking straight. What she really needed was some time alone, for thinking.

It was nearly time to go home, but she wanted to get the files situated and maybe begin to move the first few things into her new office. The office felt oddly quiet today, but she lagged behind as people started to empty out. She emptied the drawers of her desk and brought them to Kensington's office one by one.

She was satisfied when her cube was empty, but the office still didn't feel like hers. She pulled out the chair, and sat at the desk, observing. It just felt odd.

She ended up dragging the chair from her cube into the office and putting Kensington's chair in her cube. It made everything feel a bit more familiar.

She tried to make sure everything was in order for when she came in the next morning, before closing up for the day. The office was mostly empty at that point, and she felt comfortable leaving.

The apartment was empty, especially for a Monday, but for the first time that day she was able to be entirely alone and sought peace within herself over that.

She got comfortable on the balcony, having stripped away the day's dusty clothes in favor of her silk dressing gown. A glass of wine in her hand and a pack of cigarettes beside her, she was finally able to mull everything over.

**Author's Note: I really appreciate everyone's reviews—please, keep them coming! Thank you to my beta, potter-reading-coastie, for all his help with the story. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and I'll see you back here on Monday for the next chapter of Liv's story. **


	8. Chapter 8

**The following chapter contains mature and sensitive themes. If you'd like more detail on the type of content, please scroll to the Author's Note at the very bottom for more information. If you're not concerned about the content and don't want to be spoiled, carry on reading from here, but read at your own risk!**

The next morning, she was a little surprised to see her name on the door in front of her office. Underneath, of course, it said "Interim Director of Research", but she'd never had an actual office, nor a door with her name on it. For the first time, she felt a pang of pride.

She set her bag down, and found that Rutherford had left her a suggested schedule for the day, so she began with the department secretary, Anne.

"So in the morning I usually go over the active Research cases and prepare a report for Kensington," she said. "Then from there he makes his rounds in the department, checking in on the cases that need updates, meeting with the other department heads on any new cases and assigning them from there, and sits in on department meetings."

"Wow," she said, taking notes. "Okay."

"So here's your updates for today," she said. "I've marked the three cases that I think are most important to check in on, then you have a meeting with Rutherford this afternoon, and that's about it for today."

"Sounds good," Liv said, looking over it all.

"So if you have any questions, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, Anne."

She poured over the files, coming up with a bunch of questions to ask as part of getting updates from other department members.

She heard a knock on her door and looked up to see Miles Bradley, another one of the senior researchers, at the door.

"Oh, come in, Bradley," she said. "Everything alright?"

"Just wanted to congratulate you, Wellwood," he said. "No one can replace Kensington, but I'm glad you're the one taking his place."

"Thank you," she said. "I'm going to, er, do my best. Do you have a minute to speak about the case you're working on right now? I would love to get a status report on it."

"Sure," he said, taking a seat. She opened the folder, and asked him to give her context for the case. Bradley was easy going and helpful, and she was grateful that this was her first task of the day.

She felt busy, and slightly overwhelmed by everything they was on her plate, but she could do it. In fact, that's how the entire week went. She was so busy, but every day she left feeling a little better about her new job.

Wednesday night, something bounced against the still closed Floo. She opened up the crisply folded piece of parchment, and immediately recognized Ames' handwriting. "Can I come home yet?"

She scribbled back "nope", tossed it through the Floo, and charmed it shut again. She still hadn't quite fully processed the events of the previous Saturday and it really wasn't a priority, given the work situation.

But the next day, she had to deal with him, as she returned home from work to find him sitting on the couch.

"You didn't get my note?" She asked.

"No, I did," he said. "But I really don't want this to go on any longer, Liv."

"I really never wanted it to be an issue in the first place, Ames," she shot back, as she put her things away. She denied him the attention he wanted.

He was silent.

"I miss you," Ames said. "I miss coming home to you, I miss how grumpy you are in the morning, I miss poking fun at those stupid magazines you buy..."

It was a lot easier to stay strong when he wasn't right in front of her. She was silent, and sat on the arm chair across from him, studying his face.

"I just... I'm not sure," she admitted. Although their relationship had some definite problems, it was hard to deny that their relationship hadn't been a bright spot in her life. He represented stability, happiness, and was the closest thing she had had to family in many years. It felt impossible to walk away from him entirely.

"Just talk to me, love," he begged.

"I don't even know what to say, Ames," she said. "I don't want to be in a relationship where I have to worry about being hurt, physically, especially because you've been drinking. I can be a right pain in the ass, but I don't deserve to have to leave a party where I'm enjoying myself because I don't want people to see my swollen and bruised face."

"You're right, Liv," he said. "I never meant to hurt you- I hope you know that. I would be so mad if anyone else laid a hand on you..."

"I know," she said. "I think you need some professional help."

He paused, as she knew he would. He'd hate to admit he had any sort of issue.

"If that's the condition under which you'll take me back, then absolutely," he said. That statement left her feeling backed into a corner, so she got up to pace a bit.

"Okay," she said. "But that's it- you need to make getting help a priority. If anything like Saturday night ever happens again, I'm out."

"Thank you, love," he said. "I won't let you down. I promise, I really think I've turned a new corner and am ready to shed this demon."

She nodded. Her feelings weren't entirely happy, sort of just relieved that the conflict between them was over and life could get back to normal.

"I'll go grab my things from Simon's- I'll be back."

She was so glad it was Friday. She had survived her first week in her new position, and things with Ames had reconciled. She was looking forward to two days off to sleep in and recharge.

It had been a slightly busy morning, but she'd taken care of everything in her to do list before taking out her lunch. She picked at the salad for awhile, casually flipping through the morning's paper.

"Got a second, Boss?"

She looked up to see Potter. "I'm not your boss."

"Eh," he said, coming in to sit down without waiting for her to okay it. "You're on Rutherford's level, and he's my boss."

"That's weird," she said. "I don't like that."

"So how'd your first week go?"

"Didn't kill anyone, she said, flipping through the files. "Which, considering I'm managing Houston, is a minor achievement."

"Not killing your employees is always appreciated," Potter said, smirking.

"And I think I have a handle on everything. Mostly."

"Well, that's great," he said. "See, I knew you could handle it."

"Yeah, thanks," she said. "I appreciated the pep talk on Monday. I needed that."

"My pleasure, Liv," he said. "Look, just wanted to give you a heads up I'll be out of the office most of next week."

"What case are you working on?"

"I'm going on holiday, actually," he said. "My godson wants to go to see the pyramids, so we're going to Egypt."

"How cool!" She said, though she felt a pang of sadness she'd be without her office friend for a week.

He smiled. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I may be in the office on Friday, depends on how much spending five days traveling with a kid exhausts me."

"How old's your godson?" she asked.

"He just turned thirteen," he said. "Good age, not _too_ much angst yet."

She laughed. "That's important. He's lucky to have you."

"Both his parents passed in the war," he said. "He was weeks old. His nan raises him full time but as he's getting older, I've been trying to spend more time with him. I wish my godfather had been around more for me at that time."

"I'm so sorry," she said, not knowing exactly what his godson had gone through, but close enough. "I'm sure you two will have a great week."

"Yeah," he said. "Think you can hold down the fort here while I'm away?"

She eyed the large sick of files on her desk. "I think I'm going to be very busy, but you will be missed."

Out the large office door, she saw Ames peeking into her old cubicle and looking very confused when it was empty.

"In here," she called, and he looked up. In one hand, he had a large bouquet of flowers in a glass vase. It was a nice touch that made her smile.

"Since when do you work in here?"

"I'm temporarily filling in for Kensington while he's ill," she explained. "I'll fill you in on all the details later."

"Hello Potter," Ames said quickly, then turned back to Liv. "These are for you, love. Just wanted to drop them off before I head to Scotland for the game."

"I'll catch up with you later, Wellwood," Harry said, excusing himself. He could not be in the room with Ames. He didn't trust himself not to hit Ames in his stupid, smug face.

She waved to him, unable to stop smiling at the flowers. Usually she wasn't much of a flower person, but these were making her day. "They're beautiful."

"I know that it doesn't excuse any of my behavior," he said. "But you deserve nothing but the best and I wanted to bring you a little something."

"Thank you, Ames,"

"Anyways, I've got to run, love," he said. "I've got to be with the team in twenty minutes. But I want to hear all about why the hell you're sitting in your boss's office, yeah?"

"I'll tell you all about it tomorrow morning," she said. He leaned down to kiss her before going his separate ways. He very rarely stopped by her office, but she very rarely went to his games.

She finished up her lunch and reviewing some files, before going to hunt out Potter to finish their conversation earlier. As she approached his door, though, she could see that it was shut with the lights off.

"Potter's gone for the week," Taryn said. "He'll be back a week from Monday. Is it emergent?"

"Oh," she said. "No, I just wanted to chat with him. It can wait, though. Thank you."

She felt bummed she didn't get to say a proper goodbye, but there wasn't much she could do about it now and she didn't want to bother him at home. She'd hear all about the trip next week.

She had a large pile of files in her work bag when she went home, to go through this weekend while Ames was busy with Quidditch.

She was very cautious with Ames, glad for his company but hating that she felt mildly afraid of him. She shouldn't fear his presence, but she did. He promised he would be getting help this upcoming week, and she couldn't wait until she could just let her guard down around him again.

—-

Wednesday morning, she was at her desk, busy looking through a case one of her junior researchers was having issues with. Melanie Coorsworth, the researcher in question, sat in her chair nervously, shifting back and forth.

"Yeah, this one is trickier than it looks," Liv said, sighing. "But I think you can dig deeper on this Hixon guy… Have you checked his bank records? Gringotts is always happy to help us, I'll write you a permit for the release of his records."

"Great," she said. "And what exactly should I look for?"

"Patterns of spending is a big one," Liv said as she scribbled the permit. She was a bit disappointed that Coorsworth had worked here for over a year and was still asking elementary questions, but reminded herself she was no longer allowed to make snide remarks. "Any suspicious withdrawals or deposits, any odd places that money is being spent…"

Coorsworth nodded, and took the papers that Liv handed her and left. The intern brought her the mail, and she was delighted to find a postcard from Egypt in the midst of department notices.

Harry and the dark haired boy she assumed was his godson stood in front of a pyramid, waving. He looked good. The holiday suited him.

On the back, in absolutely awful handwriting, Harry had left her a note.

"_Liv—_

_Wanted to drop you a quick postcard from Egypt. Teddy and I are certainly enjoying ourselves. It's been great to get out of the office for a few days— you might consider it yourself. The weather here is perfect and there's been so much good food. Will catch up with you next week. Be well._

_Harry"_

She smiled, feeling surprisingly happy that he thought of her enough to write her while he was enjoying himself hundreds of miles away.

She slipped the postcard into the top drawer of her desk, along with her other important belongings. It made her feel good.

"Since when do you sit in here?"

She was startled, caught shifting through her belongings, but looked up to see Holly in the doorway, sans baby.

"Hi," Liv said, quietly. Just being near Holly made her heart race and hands feel clammy. "What are you doing here?"

"It's my first day back," Holly said. "From maternity leave."

"Oh," was all Liv could manage to say. Holly stared at her, eyes wide, not clearly understanding why Liv was acting so cold.

"That's all you've got to say?" she asked, taking a seat in front of Liv's desk.

"I'm sorry," Liv said earnestly. "You've taken me by surprise."

"You get a promotion?" Holly asked. "I saw your name on the door."

"It's a temporary thing," she said. "Kensington's sick and not going to be in for a while and asked me to step up and fill his role."

"Well. I suppose congratulations are in order."

"I was in the right place at the right time," Liv said. "Really, nothing to get excited over."

"They've placed me under Potter," Holly said, making a face. "To help mentor some of the trainees."

"Good," she said. "That's a good role for you, and he's a good supervisor."

"I thought you hated him?" she asked, looking surprised. "I leave this place for a few months and everything has changed."

"He's a good guy," Liv explained. "We worked together on a big project for a few weeks and he's grown on me. I think you'll like working on his team."

"If you say so," Holly said, standing up.

"Anyways," Liv said, reorganizing the papers on her desk. "Rutherford's due any minute for a meeting, but welcome back."

Holly got the hint, and left her office, giving Liv a few minutes alone to reclaim a calm demeanor before she had to deal with Rutherford. She paced a bit, though her new office was terrible for pacing. There was nothing she wanted more than a cigarette and a glass of wine.

She was happy to get into the flat at the end of that Friday. Ames didn't have a game, and she wanted to enjoy a rare weekend evening with her.

He was waiting for her by the door. "Hi, love."

He hugged her tightly, kissing along the side of her face. "Hello."

"I've got plans for us," Ames said, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Oh?" she asked. "And what do these plans entail?"

"It's a secret," he said. "Go get dressed. Something sexy."

"Can I at least shower first?" She whined, wanting to scrub the day away.

He checked his watch. "We have an hour before we need to leave. Can you shower and be ready that quickly?"

Without answering, she ran to the bathroom to hop in the shower. She was entirely unsure of what Ames had planned tonight, but she was certainly looking forward to it. The distraction was welcome.

An hour later, she was almost entirely ready, with just her pearl studs to slip into her ears. Ames had picked out one of her favorite dresses- a black, lace dress that shone purple under lights. She chose a pair of low heels, and presented herself to Ames as good to go.

"You look beautiful," he said. "I know your job requires you to wear what you do, but damn you just look lovely in a dress."

She blushed, never comfortable with compliments. "So where are we going?"

"You'll see, you impatient little thing..."

She couldn't help but smile. _This_ was the Ames she had fallen in love with, and boy, was she glad to catch a glimpse of him.

She trusted him, and followed him to where they had dinner reservations. "We had our first date here."

"That is correct," he said.

"Except this time I'm properly dressed."

She thought back to the Friday night a few years prior when she'd agreed to meet him one-on-one for the first time. He'd mentioned taking her to one of his favorite places- but neglected to explain the dress code, and she'd shown up in ripped jeans and a Weird Sisters shirt, much to her embarrassment. At the time, he had laughed at her faux pas and found it charming, but she couldn't help but cringe.

Ames laughed. "As long as we are together, I will never let you live that down."

"I still maintain that it was entirely your fault," she said. "It was on you to inform me of the dress code."

They were seated at a table by the windows, able to watch the people below them scuttle by as the London sun set. Everything was golden outside, and it was beautiful. Liv felt lighter and more carefree than she had in quite some time.

Ames ordered them a bottle of her favorite white wine and, as soon as they both had glasses, he held his up. "To your new position at work."

She looked him in the eyes, smiled, and touched her glass to his. They unwound as they snacked on calamari and a tomato basil flatbread.

"I think it's spectacular that you've finally gotten a bump up," Ames said. "You've been there what, seven years now?"

"Something like that," she murmured. She enjoyed the intimacy of this restaurant. They were able to have a quiet conversation without feeling like anyone was listening in. "It's been nice. The last few weeks have been so stressful between that last case and taking over this new job..."

"And me being an absolute git..."

"Well, yes," she said, pouring herself more wine. "That didn't help."

"But I finally feel like I might have everything balanced and be ready to tackle this with everything I've got."

"And I'm sure you'll do wonderfully, my love."

They laughed and chatted more than they had in months, enjoying each other's company. They spoke about Ames' work, and how his team was poised to clinch a spot in the playoffs. Ames filled her in on Eva, the girl Simon had brought home from Finnegan's wedding and seemed to be getting on with well.

As they ate their dinners, she couldn't help but wonder why they didn't come here more often. The ambiance was superb, and her dinner of swordfish and roasted summer vegetables was delicious. The servers were attentive, keeping the wine flowing at the perfect rate. and making sure everything was perfect.

"Would you like dessert?" Ames asked cheekily.

She looked at him, as if to ask if he was serious, then laughed. "Would I like dessert?"

"You're right," he said, grabbing the dessert menu for her to pour over. She chose a piece of tiramisu for them to split, and enjoyed every single bite without feeling an ounce of guilt.

"This was so lovely," she said, sighing happily.

"It was," Ames said. "We should do this more often."

They walked home, hand in hand, enjoying the warm summer evening. She was letting her guard down around Ames again, and felt comfortable next to him. This was the man she had fallen in love with.

They entered their apartment and she took a seat on the couch, full, tired, and content.

"I'm getting myself another glass of wine," Ames said. "Want one?"

"Oh, I'm all set," she said. "Unless you want me to fall asleep right here on the couch."

He chuckled, and took a seat next to her. He slowly moved closer to her. "I love you, Liv."

"I love you too," she said, as his lips touched hers. She leaned into the comfort of his embrace, his strong arms around her.

"Let's move this to the bedroom," Ames said, his voice low and his eyes full of desire.

"I-" she began. She was happy to make out with him, but the idea of sex tonight made her hesitate. She could let her guard down a bit with him, but couldn't bring herself to be intimate with him just yet. "I'm content here, Ames."

He looked puzzled. "You want me to fuck you here?"

"Not tonight?" she asked, though he tugged her by the arm to the bedroom and she meekly followed, hoping he'd get it soon enough. "It's too soon."

He overpowered her by far, but she put up her hands to try and get him to stop. "Ames, love, really, no-"

"I love when you play hard to get," he said, gently biting her neck, and his hands slid up her thighs, thumbs looping under her panties and dragging them down.

"Stop!" she cried, though his grip didn't loosen. She elbowed him in the stomach, which got him to loosen his grip on her, and she slipped out from his hold. As she headed for the door of the flat, she was able to snatch her handbag. He caught up with her, knocking the purse out of her grip.

"You must be feeling especially saucy tonight," he said, and she could smell all the alcohol on his breath. Through her dress, he cupped her breasts, and she saw no other option: she kneed him in the crotch to get free.

She ran out of the apartment, as fast as she could. When she was out of the building and down the block, she felt safe enough to stop and adjust herself for comfort. Where could she go? She had no wallet to check herself into a hotel. There was no chance of staying with Holly.

_Harry_?

She thought through it briefly, and then knew he would let her crash there for the night. She took off in the direction of his place. Tears began to stream down her face once she knew she was out of danger, but she tried to wipe them away as quickly as possible and keep moving.

She turned down Grimmauld Place, knowing she was close. She was briefly questioning her decision to come here, but reminded herself she had literally nowhere else to go. She did her best to recall his wards, breaking through most of them with ease, when the door opened.

**CONTENT WARNING/AUTHOR'S NOTE: ****This chapter contains themes of domestic violence and attempted non-consensual sex. Read at your own risk. If you're concerned about the topic matter, please PM me and I will be happy to provide you with a summary of the chapter without triggering content.**** Thanks for all the reviews, PMs, and support, everyone! An extra chapter could go up this week—but only if this chapter reaches 5 reviews! Thanks to my great beta, potter-reading-coastie. **


	9. Chapter 9

Their laughter slowed after Ron's joke, though they were all in a good mood. In a moment, though, that all changed.

The front of the house shook as someone tried to pass through the wards.

"You expecting someone, mate?" Ron asked, standing up to see if he was able to see who was at the oor.

"Teddy's at his Nan's and you two are here," he answered. "Besides your family, who else knows I'm- oh."

He moved quickly to the door, opening it to see a ragged looking Liv Wellwood standing there. Her dress was slightly ripped, her normally sleek hair all over the place, and she had fresh tears in her eyes.

"Liv," he said, stepping down onto the stoop. "What's happened to you?"

She shut her mouth for a moment as she collected herself. Then opened it, to try and explain it succinctly, but ultimately closed it. Finally she found a voice, but cringed at how watery and strained she sounded. "I just need a place to sleep tonight."

He nodded, knowing without a doubt in his mind this had to do with that her stupid boyfriend. "Come on upstairs."

She cringed as she walked past his kitchen and saw he had company. "I'm so, so sorry for interrupting- you should have told me you had people over."

"I was just about to kick them out," he said, gently. He led her to a bedroom on the third floor that must have been his. "Why don't you sit down and take a breathe? I'll be back in a few minutes."

She nodded, but as soon as he was gone felt herself crying again. It was the sort of cry that came from somewhere deep in her chest, that caused her whole body to seize. She was mortified and hurt and so vulnerable. This wasn't her. These were qualities she'd thought she'd managed to avoid.

This wasn't the Liv Wellwood she had let anyone see in years. She went into the en suite bathroom, finding it surprisingly spacious and nice, and searched for a wash cloth.

She found one in a drawer under the sink, ran it under cool water and pressed it against her puffy eyes. She tried to take deep breaths, though every time she caught a glimpse of her reflection, fresh tears spilled out. It only made her face more red and puffy, and generally fueled the cycle further.

Between sobs, she could only briefly stop to consider Ames. Tonight was the last straw. Her relationship with him was _not_ salvageable. She could not stand to dwell on what may have happened if she had stayed there, continuing to resist. She refused to be in a relationship where at any time, she could be his victim.

That didn't make it any easier.

Unsure how long he would be, but even more unsure of what she would say to him when he reappeared, she considered her options. The overstuffed armchair in the corner looked inviting, though it had a stack of laundry on it, and she didn't want to disturb his belongings. She was surprised his bed was made, but took at seat at the end of it, dabbing the still-cool wash cloth at her eyes.

She felt guilty for breaking up his dinner party, since he'd just returned from holiday and probably wanted to socialize with people other than his godson. She didn't mean to make herself his responsibility. She hated feeling like a burden.

Her breathing had almost slowed to a normal pace when the door knob squeaked and he entered the bedroom. He didn't seem particularly phased by her presence, which was oddly comforting. He carried two porcelain mugs of tea.

"I thought tea might be nice," he said, offering her a cup, and taking a seat next to her. She accepted it with both hands, not realizing how shaky she was. She concentrated on stilling her visibly trembling wrist. "I sent them home. It's just us here."

She nodded, resigned to the embarrassing fact she'd ruined his evening. Her voice was hoarse as she managed, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said, almost sternly. "I'm glad you came here. You are safe."

"I ruined your dinner party," she said, unable to look at him again.

"Have you got even your wallet on you?" he asked her, as he got up. She shook her head. From the chest at the end of the bed, he pulled a white, hand knit blanket, and gently wrapped it around her bare shoulders. He was careful not to let his fingers brush against her skin, afraid of scaring her. She mouthed _thank you_, and pulled it tighter around her.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" he asked, any sternness gone from his voice.

She made eye contact with him, which she'd been avoiding, and his green eyes were kind. They were curious and soft, though she sensed they hid a fierce anger behind them.

"What did he do to you?" he asked, softly. He went out to cup her arm with his palm, but jerked it away at the last second, placing his arm awkwardly behind him. "Do you need healing?"

She shook her head quickly, a speediness that caused his anxiety to tick up. He couldn't ask, though he wasn't even sure he wanted to know the details that led to Liv Wellwood ending up in his bed. Well. Not like that. Not like he might have preferred.

"I'm okay," she said. "I promise."

He was silent, nodding. She had a brief suspicion he didn't believe her, but he didn't say anything. "That was the last time this happens."

"Oh?"

"I cannot," she said, her voice beginning to waver, and she worried for a second she would burst back into tears. "I cannot be in a relationship with… I can't share a bed with someone who is okay with hurting me over and over."

"You deserve so much better than he can give you, Liv," Harry said, this time making contact with her arm. She didn't flinch. "I know it's hard to walk away from someone you've been with for so long, and love, but you're doing the right thing. The right thing for you. I promise."

She nodded, unsure of what to say beyond that. "I just need a place to crash tonight. Tomorrow, I'll get my wallet back or go to Gringotts and get access to my money and I'll figure something out from there. But I really appreciate your kindness tonight."

"I have this whole stupid house to myself," he said, gesturing with his right hand towards the entire rest of the huge house. "You can stay as long as you need, Liv. Company might be nice. For both of us."

She wasn't sure what to say to that, or what he even meant by that, so instead she just yawned and nodded.

"Speaking of," he said, taking her empty mug from her. "Why don't I go get a room ready for you, yeah? Do you want something to help you sleep?"

She nodded. She normally had no issues sleeping. But tonight, the thought of basically turning her brain off really appealed to her. From his nightside table, he plucked a small vial of brown liquid. In the brief second the drawer was open, her curiosity was peaked, but it wasn't a conversation for then, not at all.

He offered her the dropper of Calming Draught, but when they both realized her hands were still tremoring, he nudged her jaw up gently with his knuckle and placed them under her tongue himself. She winced at the bitterness before swallowing.

"That should help," he said. "It's always in that drawer if you need it. Why don't you just take some deep breaths, I'll go get the bed made up."

"Can I help?" she asked, though the world around her had started to haze out. He knew this by the look on her face.

"No need, Liv," he said. "Why don't you just relax here, five minutes and we'll have you asleep in your own bed.

When he returned a few moments later, she was asleep on his bed. For the first time since she appeared on his front step, her face wasn't creased with worry. He stopped for a moment to consider what to do. Ultimately, he was just glad that she was okay. He didn't mind sleeping across the hall at all.

She stirred, realizing she'd fallen asleep. The Calming Draught had hit her stronger than he'd anticipated, though he didn't think it was necessarily a bad thing. She was in desperate need of a good night's sleep. "Harry?"

"Go to sleep, Liv," he said, quietly. He loosened the quilt from under her, and tucked it around her. He usually kept his bedroom chilly, and though he didn't think she'd been shaking from cold, he didn't want to make it worse. "We'll get you all situated in the morning, just focus on getting some rest."

"Okay," she breathed, truly not far from sleep.

"I'm just going to get a few of my things, and I'll be in the bed across the hall if you need me."

She nodded. He changed into his pajamas, brushed his teeth, then went about closing the shades in the bedroom. She lay still in his bed, not quite asleep, but working on slow breaths until she could ease into sleep. She seemed restless, though, and Harry wasn't quite sure what to offer her to help with that. He regretted waking her at all.

Even after swapping his jeans for pajama pants and brushing his teeth, he noticed she was still awake. It was dim in his room, with one light casting a low glow along the opposite wall. He hoped it wasn't the light keeping her up.

"Hard time sleeping?" he asked quietly, as he pulled his book out of his night stand.

She looked up at him and nodded. "I'll be okay, though."

He knew what he wanted to do, and what might help, but he hesitated for a moment before asking. "Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?"

She was glad he asked, when she quickly nodded and moved over. He lay next to her, contemplating how to conduct himself. What did Liv need? How could he best support her?

He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, and she sighed contentedly into the embrace. She needed comfort, he recognized. Despite embracing her like that for the first time, he tried to remain level headed about how he could soothe her. His fingers brushed through her hair gently, eliciting a soft sigh from her lips. He could see her physically begin to unwind.

He thought she would be rigid against him, or timid, but she seemed to melt into his embrace. Following her cues, he wrapped the other arm around her, circling her waist until his body hugged hers tightly.

"Mmhm," she whispered.

"Is this okay?" he asked her.

"I feel safe now," she murmured.

"You're very safe," he said. "My house has-"

"Exceptionally strong wards," she sleepily said, imitating his tone. He laughed, and she enjoyed the way his cheek shook, pressed against her skin.

"And I won't let anyone get you."

"I know."

They were quiet for a few minutes, and he wasn't quite sure if she'd fallen asleep yet or not. He remained embracing her tightly, like she might float away.

"He'd been drinking," she said. Not in a whisper, but her voice was as soft, and far away as he'd ever heard it. Of course he'd been. Ames was looking for happiness at the bottom of a glass bottle.

"Yeah?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to know what came next. Well, he had his ideas of course. But something told him that he needed to let her speak her truth.

"We'd had a nice dinner," she said, a little more definition in her voice. "Truly, it was nice. I saw glimpses of the man I fell in love with. But then when we got home, he insisted…"

Her voice wavered as his heart rate increased.

"He insisted we shag, but I didn't want to, and he thought it was just me playing hard to get, but I made it very clear that wasn't what was happening-"

"He raped you?" he words tumbled out of his mouth, as he reached for his wand.

"No," she said, intently, pushing his hand away from his nightstand. "But if I hadn't left, I'm fairly sure that's would've happened. When I realized he wasn't going to let go of me, I…"

He propped himself up on his elbow to look at her better. "You what, Liv?"

He sincerely hoped she wasn't about to say she used a very dangerous curse on him, though that was exactly what he wanted to do at that moment.

"I kneed him in the balls and ran."

"Good," he said, trying to stifle the anger he felt so intensely towards Ames. "You did the right thing."

"I know," she said, though it was pained. She was tense again, and he relaxed his grip on her. For a moment he thought she might cry again, which was justified, but the Calming Drought had seemed to dry up her tears.

"I'm so sorry, Liv. I'm so sorry you went through that."

She was quiet, and in the still and dark room he tried to figure out what she needed. Absentmindedly, his fingers began stroking her hair again, enjoying its unruliness. The sensation seemed to distract her. He offered her another drop of the Calming Draught, and she accepted.

"You'll help me get out of there?" She asked, a slight tone of misbelief evident in her voice. She was vulnerable, and he knew how alone she'd felt. It was why she'd stayed with Ames so long in the first place.

"Of course," he said. "We'll make a plan tomorrow, okay?"

She nodded slightly, the movement causing her hair to rub pleasantly against his face. "Thank you, Harry."

The tone in her voice made it clear she was fading, drifting off to sleep in his embrace, and he was glad for it. He felt the rise and fall of her chest slowing down and evening out, and waited until he was certain she was totally asleep before he moved at all.

His head spun, while he held her sleeping body. Everything that had happened over the course of the evening took him by complete surprise. He hadn't seen this coming- not her appearance at his house, not Ames' mistreatment of her to the extent he had, not holding her until she felt safe and fell asleep. There hadn't been a girl in this bed for over a year- and now there was. And he wasn't even shagging her.

As tempted as he was to continue to enjoy laying with her, he knew it wasn't best for her. He soaked in a few more moments of the embrace before slowly and carefully untangling his limbs from hers, trying hard not to wake her. She readjusted in her sleep, sliding precisely into the middle of the king sized bed. He couldn't resist pressing a small kiss into her forehead before leaving the room.

He wouldn't have done it if she was awake. He knew about his feelings, but he didn't want to let them lead things. Not right now. She needed stability and safety and his feelings would not foster that. He thought he had done an okay job on concealing them, for now at least.

As he headed downstairs, he felt the searing anger towards Ames hit him in the middle of the chest. Oh, how he wished he could punch him square in his jaw. That would not make Liv's life easier, nor would it be a good headline to wake up to on Monday. It would make everything messy, but the thought hitting his smug face was pleasant.

He found the remnants of dinner in the kitchen, not having thought to charm it to wash itself up. Two notes waited for him on the kitchen counter. One he had expected. One he had not.

He started with Hermione's.

_Hoping everything is okay with your friend. Can Ron and I be of any assistance? Please let us know. _

_It was nice to see you tonight. Seems like Egypt was a successful trip for you and Teddy. What about Romania, next? I could recommend a handful of places that would tie-in nicely with his upcoming curriculums. _

_With love,_

_H + R_

It was well-intended, if not a bit nosey. He knew he had to respond. How, though? He was unsure he'd even made sense when he'd hurriedly told them that he was sorry, he really needed them to leave, could they talk more later?

_Everything is okay. I think she'll be staying with me awhile. It's for the best._

_I'll reach out and make plans with you soon. We can discuss Romania then? _

He reread it a few times before sending it off. The _"It's for the best."_ line troubled him, because he felt a massive guilt that he knew she hadn't been in a good relationship and hadn't intervened more. But it was for the best, right? Her leaving Ames was a step towards a much better life.

In the end, he sealed it off and sent it, deciding the line could stay.

He opened up the next envelope, a bright orange one with no name on the front.

In messy, smudged ink, a note was scrawled.

_I've a room at Daster and Foley's this evening and next, as part of an article Alistair's arranged. Care to join me? _

He crumpled the paper up quickly, and stashed it somewhere it wouldn't be found.

**Author's Note: What'd you think of this chapter? I know it's what many people have been waiting for! The offer is still on the table, should any chapter I post this week get five reviews, I'll release an extra chapter! Thanks to my beta, potter-reading-coastie, for all his help. **


	10. Chapter 10

The light woke her up, though she tried to turn away from it for a bit before conceding. She opened her eyes, and took in the room around her. She hadn't paid much detail to Harry's room last night. It was painted a light green color, and looked quite nice. He had two complementary pieces of art on the wall, and a large wardrobe for all his clothes on the other side of the room. It looked a lot more polished than she would have anticipated.

She got out of bed, her body achy and sore. She rubbed at her temples, which pounded angrily, probably since she had quite a lot of wine last night. She tried to stretch and loosen up, seeing that it was nine o'clock in the morning. On his desk, there was a pile of clothes and a note.

_"Good morning, Liv,_

_I hope you slept well. I had already planned time with Teddy today, so if you find this note we are probably downstairs eating breakfast. We are going for a hike, then plan to have a quiet evening in. Perhaps you'll join us? I'll gladly help you reclaim your belongings and get you set up somewhere tomorrow. _

_If you'd prefer to sit out of the hike, by all means make yourself comfortable. You're free to use any shower or eat anything in my cupboards. I've left out some of Ginny's old clothes I came across recently, and have yet to get rid of, and I reckon you're about the same size. _

_Join us down stairs for breakfast if you'd like, or feel free to stay in my room all day. Whatever you prefer. _

_H"_

She looked suspiciously at the pile of clothing, but ended up grabbing a pair of jeans she knew would fit. They were short, but she wore them cuffed, like it was on purpose. The t-shirts were all too small for her, unless she wanted to go for a very tight look in the chest, so she grabbed a plain black t-shirt from his closet. She could replace it later.

She was beginning to realize how everything could be replaced.

She was nervous to infringe upon the time Harry spent with his godson, but despised the idea of sitting in bed all day, so she tiptoed down the creaky stairs, where she could hear them in the kitchen laughing. It was a nice, cozy sound.

"C'mon, I taught you better than that," Harry said, "catch it."

She peeked into the kitchen to see them throwing chocolate chips at each other and trying to catch them with their mouths. As soon as she stepped in, the chip headed directly at Harry's mouth bounced off his chin.

"Hah!" Teddy said.

"That one doesn't count," Harry said. "Female interference. But Teddy, this is my friend Liv, that I told you about?"

"Nice to meet you," Teddy said, shaking her hand. The kid had good manners, at least. "Are you going to stay for breakfast? Harry makes the best pancakes."

"Pancakes actually sound delicious," Liv said. Teddy gestured to the seat next to him, and she was impressed by how mature and charming he was.

She searched for something to talk about, but couldn't even remember the last time she spoke to a thirteen year old. "What year are you going into?"

"Third year," he said, picking at the tray of fruit Harry had set out as he stood at the stove cooking. She grabbed a piece of pineapple for herself.

"What house are you in?" She asked.

"Hufflepuff," he said. "What were you in?"

Harry piped in. "If you were anything but a Ravenclaw, I will be amazed."

"He's right," she said laughing. "What gave it away?"

"You're the most detail-oriented, thorough, smart ass I know."

"You say that like its a bad thing," she said, smiling a cheeky smile at Harry. Coming downstairs was the right idea, as these two guys were making her forget yesterday entirely.

"It's not," Teddy said, assuringly. "Some of my best friends are Ravenclaws."

Harry presented them each with platefuls of thick, fluffy, beautiful pancakes, which she promptly doused with butter and maple syrup. Teddy's, full of chocolate chips, were eaten plain. "Want coffee, Liv?"

She nodded, her mouth too full to talk. She selected a few grapes and pieces of melon, adding those to her plate as well. Harry took the chance to fill her a cup before sitting down and enjoying breakfast of his own.

"So tell me more about this hike," she said, as she chased the last few bites around her plate with her fork.

"Oh, are you going to come with us?" Teddy asked, sounding rather excited. She didn't want to disappoint him. Her eyes went wide as his straw colored hair started to turn white. Her startled look at the change caused him to chuckle. "Sorry, it happens when I get excited!"

"Ted's a metamorphmagus," Harry explained, as if it were totally normal for his hair to change colors like that. She hadn't encountered many before, and they usually used their special abilities for nefarious reasons. But this time it was oddly charming.

"I see that," she said, watching as his hair slowly took on it's normal color again. "As for the hike, it depends on how intense of a work out we're talking. I'm not exactly the most outdoorsy person."

"Well, I think we were going to do Chess Valley today," Harry said. "Which is about 16 kilometers."

"Oh, wow," she said, knowing there was no chance of her being able have the stamina for that.

"But it's a bit warmer than expected," Harry said. "What about the Waltham Abbey trail, Ted? More shade, better breeze. And it's only about 8 kilometers, Liv."

"I think I could do that," she said, smiling. Teddy went up stairs to his room to change, while Liv helped Harry clean up.

"Are you sure you want me tagging along?" She asked, uncertain.

"Of course," he said. "It's just been me and Teddy practically all week. He seemed excited someone would be joining us."

"Good," she said.

"Unless you'd rather stay here," he said. "And I would understand."

She shook her head. "I don't really want to be alone right now. Thank you so much for letting me crash here."

"It's nothing," he said. "How'd those clothes work out for you?"

"Pants are great," she said. "But we're definitely differently shaped up top."

He glanced at her bust for a fraction of a second before nodding. "Well, you're welcome to any of my shirts. We'll get you your clothes back as soon as possible."

She nodded. "Thank you."

"Want to do a favor?" Harry asked, grinning at her cheekily.

"I'll do anything," she said, earnestly.

"Make sandwiches for us to eat for lunch?" He asked. "There's plenty of stuff in the fridge."

"What does Teddy like?"

"He'll eat anything!" Harry called, as he went upstairs.

She putzed around the kitchen, finding everything she would need. The fridge was completely stocked with food, which was all organized meticulously. Her own fridge didn't even have this much food in it.

She assembled three sandwiches for them, but was hesitant to add anything else because she didn't want to overstep. She felt incredibly comfortable here, and was so glad Harry had let her stay overnight.

She went upstairs to change into a pair of athletic leggings. Without thinking, she opened the door to Harry's room to see him buttoning his pants.

"Oh gosh," she said, her voice high and squeaky. She shut the door most of the way. "My bad."

He laughed. "It's fine," he said. "I'm decent."

She couldn't help but blush as she re-entered the room and went directly to the pile of clothes.

"I think these shirts should fit you," Harry said, handing her a few t-shirts from his wardrobe. "I weighed a lot less when those fit."

She laid the shirt upon her front and discovered that it would indeed fit.

"Did you sleep okay?" He asked, grabbing a cap out of his wardrobe.

"Yes, actually," she said. "Your bed's super comfy. I'm sorry for stealing it from you."

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Liv."

"You're absolutely sure you want me to come?" She asked, braiding her long hair off to one side. She looked most like herself when she braided it down her right side.

"I think Teddy would be very disappointed if you did not," he said.

She thought about the kid, who was charming and sweet and she found herself sincerely not wanting to disappoint him.

Three hours later, they were stopped under a shady tree to eat their lunch. In addition to the sandwiches she had made, Harry had brought along a large bag of crisps and some fresh red grapes.

The view from the field was amazing, and worth every bit of sweat on the climb up. She looked out at the English countryside, with its rolling hills and bright green pastures. She felt almost at peace here. Life was so much grander than the problems she was facing at the moment, and their hike helped remind her of that. It was a beautiful summer day, a light breeze crisp against her skin, but not strong enough to disturb the game of chess going on next to her.

She watched as Harry collected Teddy's pawns, skillfully navigating the board.

"Winner gets to play Liv," Teddy said.

"I'm afraid I never learned," she said. She knew the elements of the game, but not well enough that she would be competition for either bloke.

"Automatic loser then," Teddy joked. "And loser gets to pay for ice cream at the end."

"I'll accept that," she laughed. It was the least she could do.

But the she remembered her wallet was, presumably, still on the floor of her and Ames' flat. She had not a single cent- galleon or pound- on her. She started to panic a little.

"Check mate," Teddy said, looking gleefully up at Harry.

"Good move, Ted," Harry said. "You're getting better. But let's get back moving."

She packed up the picnic basket as they put away Chess, and they were soon back on the hiking trail. It wasn't too steep and they were taking it at a leisurely pace, and she found herself enjoying it.

"Ted," Harry said. "Can you run up and check that next trail marker? I just want to make sure we took the right turn back there."

As soon as he was out of earshot, Harry turned to Liv and spoke quietly. "I know you haven't got your wallet on you, so shake my hand and take the twenty pound note to buy ice cream with."

She immediately did what he said, and slid the note into her back pocket. Apparently, she wasn't the only detail oriented one.

"It's the seventh kilo," Teddy called, as he jogged back to them.

"Oh, good," he said. "We took the right path."

A month ago, if someone had told Liv that she'd be spending the day with Harry and his godson, and having a nice time, she would not have believed them. But now she felt like she was entirely where she was supposed to be, as odd as that was.

The terrain quickly became steep, which she knew meant the end of the trail. She had survived. At the base of the hill was another park, with a playground for the children and stalls selling fish and chips and ice cream.

"Alright, bud," Harry said. "Go pick what you want."

Teddy ran ahead, giving them a hint of privacy once more. "That was nice."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said. "Fresh air always helps clear my mind."

"Are you going to get ice cream?" She asked, as they approached where Teddy stood, ordering a banana split.

"Sure," he said. "I'll take a scoop of pistachio."

The teenage girl running the stand looked to live. "For you?"

"Oh, just a scoop of fudge swirl, please," Liv said, stepping forward to pay for their order while Harry and Teddy found them a picnic table to sit at.

"Who orders pistachio ice cream?" Liv asked, carrying the tray of ice cream over to them. "That practically sounds healthy."

"There are so many better flavors," Teddy said, nodding in agreement.

"Have you ever had pistachio ice cream?" He asked.

"No," she said. "I have a fundamental issue with ice cream being remotely healthy."

He stuck his spoon out for her, to taste it. Well, she couldn't truly knock it until she gave it a try.

And she was surprised how not-terrible the sweet ice cream was. "I still maintain there are much better choices."

"You didn't say you hate it," he said.

"No, I did not," she said, smiling and looking down at the last few bites of ice cream waiting in her dish.

They made it back to the house, mid afternoon, and she was wiped. She got comfy on the couch in the front living room while Harry and Teddy playfully argued over something she didn't quite grasp... and before she knew it, she was asleep.

She woke up some time later, covered in a knitted blanket and feeling very content. She could have easily gone back to sleep, but the smell of fresh pizza has piqued her interest.

"Oh good, you're awake!" Teddy exclaimed as she entered the kitchen.

"Did the hike tucker you out?" Harry asked, as he was setting the take away out across the table.

"I think all the furniture in your house is just extra comfortable," she mumbled, still rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "What've we got here?"

"It's called the Teddy special," Harry said.

"You take an extra cheese pizza," Teddy said. "Then add hot sauce, bacon, ham, jalapeños, onions, and pineapple."

"Pineapple on half," Harry clarified. "Because some of us think the pineapple takes it from delicious to horrible."

She couldn't help but smile. "I'll try it."

Harry handed her a plate. "C'mon, get a plate ready, we're going to watch a movie."

"Muggle movie?" She asked.

"Yeah," Harry said. "I grew up with Muggles, and Ted's got some in his blood, so we occasionally enjoy some of their culture."

Harry got things straightened up in the kitchen as they got settled into the living room. Teddy was on the end of the couch Liv had taken. "Do you have any Muggle blood, Liv?"

She knew it was a question out of pure curiosity. "I honestly can't answer that," she said. "I never knew my dad."

"Me either," he said, looking sad. "But people tell me lots of stories about them. Nan loves to tell me about all the ways Mum was naughty as a child."

She knew nothing about his parents, other than that they were killed in the war, and felt sad she had nothing to add. "That's really wonderful, Teddy. I'm sure your Mum and Dad would be proud of you."

Harry timed it well and entered at that point, the remote to the Muggle TV in his hand. "All ready for the movie?"

It was such a novelty. She had seen TVs, walking around London, but never actually watched one. The movie they had chosen was obviously intended for a younger audience, but it had all of them laughing at times.

As soon as the movie was over, Teddy's eyes were heavy. "I think I'm gonna head upstairs."

"Good night, Teddy," Liv said.

"Will you still be here in the morning, Liv?"

"She will," Harry said, answering for her. The corners of Teddy's mouth turned up.

"Sweet dreams," she wished him. Harry went upstairs, briefly to say good night, while she stretched out and got comfortable. She didn't feel like she'd be awake for long either.

As she was getting comfortable, Harry came back down. "Budge over."

She moved her legs so he could sit at the end of the couch. "Today was one of the nicest days I can remember."

Harry smiled. "I'm glad."

"Teddy's a good kid," she said. "Impossible not to love."

"Yeah, he is," Harry said. "I enjoy when he's home from Hogwarts. We get up to all sorts of good stuff. We went camping last month."

"I've never been camping in my life," she laughed. "So... rustic."

"You might enjoy it. Drink a lot and cook things over open fire. I try to hike every week or two, good to keep in shape," Harry said. "I've given up on trying to get Ted to go flying with me."

"He scared of heights?" She asked.

He nodded. "Couldn't even manage it first year. I was all set to lay out twenty galleons on a racing broom for him to go on trips with me, but he decided he'd rather play Chess with me."

"I like this kid," she said. "I never got the hang of it either."

"Ames didn't take you out?" He asked so casually, she felt only the mildest pang of angst over the situation.

She shook her head. "He's not into flying for fun. Just for sport. If he's on a broom, he's practicing or playing."

"Speaking of," Harry said. "I checked the roster and it seems like he's got a game at one tomorrow. Teddy will be back with his Nan by then, if you're ready to go collect your things."

She knew how hard that was going to be, but it was inescapable. She was just glad she had a friend. She nodded. "Yeah, I suppose that's a good idea."

"Want to head upstairs?" He asked. It was getting late, and she was getting more and more comfortable on the couch.

She stood up, stretched, and folded the knit blanket into eighths before setting it over the arm of the couch. She followed him upstairs, then bore left towards the bedroom he'd made up for her last night.

"Clothes are in my room," he reminded her, and she veered back toward him, pulling a pair of flannel pants from the pile. Those would do. She used his en suite bathroom to change, folding up today's clothing and putting it at the bottom of the pile. It felt only a little weird to be wearing his ex wife's clothes. When she thought about it, it may have been the oddest thing of all about their current situation.

She kind of wanted to stay in here for the night, but didn't want to impose any more than she already had. She just remembered how warm and safe she'd felt as she drifted off to sleep the night before.

He got into bed, and patted the spot next to him, so she carefully got in beside him. "Don't want to be alone?"

She shook her head. "If you want me to sleep across the hall though-"

"Shh," he said. "Whatever you need, Liv."

He grabbed his wand, dimming the lights almost entirely. She scooted down, fully under the quilt, and turned on her side, facing him.

He gently moved closer to her, running his hand lightly through her hair. She seemed to calm immediately, letting go of all the tension she didn't know she'd been holding in.

"You're safe here," he murmured, lips close to her ears. "It's okay."

She nodded weakly, and let sleep take over.


	11. Chapter 11

Once again, the light woke her up. This room needed better curtains. When she had her wallet back, she was buying him better curtains. She owed him that, knowing he would never accept money.

Harry's arm was around her loosely, and she could feel him, gently pressing into her backside. She didn't dwell on it, but slipped out of the bed and the embrace to use the bathroom. It was after eight, and she could hear a bit of commotion Teddy was causing downstairs. Out of curiosity, she quietly shut the door and moved down the stairs.

In the living room, the radio was on and he was reading. It was on pretty damn loud, but he lowered it when he saw her.

"Your music's pretty loud, bud," she said.

"I wanted to wake Harry up without actually waking Harry up," he admitted, and they both laughed. "Can you make pancakes as good as his?"

"Nope," she said. "I won't lie to you. But if you want, I'm sure we can go whip something up in the kitchen."

"What do you like to eat?" She asked.

"I like pretty much anything," he said.

She opened the fridge. Harry's fridge may have looked plentiful, but he had only one egg left, so that wasn't helpful. She pulled out the griddle and the package of pancake mix, and decided to give it a go.

"The chocolate chips are in the left cabinet," Teddy reminded her from the table.

"Can't forget those," she said. "Why don't you go get that radio? I'm a Weird Sisters fan."

His eyes lit up, and he was off to get it. She set it up next to the griddle, where she'd just poured two big pancakes and covered them in chocolate chips. He turned the radio up again, and they both danced around the kitchen to the music. She started to throw chocolate chips at him, which he was surprisingly good at catching, despite their little dance party.

Harry woke to the faint sound of the Weird Sisters and a room full of bright sunshine. He rubbed at his eyes and grabbed for his glasses. There was an impression in his bed where Liv's body had rested last night, and he smiled fondly.

Wondering what the music was all about, he swung his legs over and out of bed and headed downstairs. He paused just outside the kitchen, watching Liv fling chocolate chips at Teddy across the room. He couldn't help but take her in for a second. Her dark hair was all over the place, and Ginny's old clothes didn't quite fit her. The red, flannel pants stopped mid calf. But that did not stop him from admiring her every movement.

He was exercising the utmost restraint with her. He wanted to tell her how he felt about her. He wanted to snog her, to feel her body wriggle in pleasure beneath his- but he knew there was a long way to go for that. Patience, Hermione had reminded him, when they'd spoken last.

They then saw him enter the kitchen and froze for a second. Liv flipped the slightly burnt pancakes, then moved towards him. "Come dance with us."

He took her hand, spinning her in the small kitchen, before the song ended and a commercial came on. Teddy lowered the radio, and took a seat at the table.

"Oh," Liv said, sounding dejected. "I think they're ruined."

The pancakes were burnt on the outside, but still doughy in the inside. "Perhaps you should let the real professional take a try."

Liv playfully glared at him, before taking a seat next to Teddy at the table.

"He usually throws the first pancake away too," Teddy informed her, whispering loudly.

Harry turned around, letting them both know he heard, but they just smiled at him innocently.

"How about some bananas in today's pancakes, eh?" Harry asked. "Your Nan wants you getting those fruit and vegetables."

"I had three servings in dinner last night," Teddy explained. "Pineapple, jalapeño, and onion. Oh, and there was a piece of lettuce on the sandwich Liv made me yesterday. I think that means I'm good for at least a week."

They both laughed at his attempt at an argument, but Liv grabbed a banana and began slicing it up, handing a few slices at a time for Harry to place in the pancakes.

"I'll take the end," Harry said, and she held it up for him to eat out of her grip. His lips grabbed it from between her thumb and forefinger, and she felt like it was a very intimate gesture. She felt no need to be shy here. For whatever reason, she was incredibly comfortable around him.

They enjoyed their pancakes- banana and a few chocolate chips, at Teddy's insistence.

"You about ready to go back to Nan's?" Harry asked as they finished up eating.

Teddy made a face. "Do I have to?"

"Yes," Harry said, sternly. "You know she needs your help 'round the house."

Teddy nodded. "Can I come back next weekend? I really want to teach and beat Liv at chess."

She smiled, feeling an unusual feeling in her chest. She realized it was the first time in a long time someone had explicitly _wanted_ her around. It was such a nice feeling. Harry laughed. "We'll see if we can work something out, yeah? Now c'mon, let's get you all packed to go."

She helped him clear the dishes. "I'll just be gone about fifteen minutes dropping him off at 'Dromeda's."

"Okay," she said, charming the dishes to wash themselves.

"Why don't you take a bath while I'm gone?" He asked. "The one in my bathroom's quite nice, I'm sure you could use the relaxing..."

"That sounds nice, actually."

"Then we'll get ready to repo your stuff?"

She nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

She made her way upstairs, stopping in Teddy's room to say goodbye. She noticed the posters all over his room, noting his good taste. "Will I see you next weekend?"

She honestly had no clue how to answer that, but felt awful at the idea of letting the kid down. "You'll see me soon, Teddy. Promise."

He gave her a big hug, which surprised her, since she wasn't a particularly affectionate person. Except maybe she was, and just hadn't known it. Or had the opportunities to express it. She ruffled his hair, noticing it had lightened just a tad during their embrace.

"Be good to your Nan," she said, backing out of the bedroom and heading to Harry's bathroom. He was right, the large, white marble tub looked like the perfect place to unwind. She turned the tap on hot, threw some eucalyptus scented Epsom salt in, and got in herself.

The hot water was soothing against her achy skin, and she let her body relax against the sloped back of the tub. She took in deep breaths of the earthy scented steam, trying to find peace within her.

She was eternally grateful for Harry's presence the past few days. He kept her moving and happy. He and Teddy had made her feel more a part of something then she ever had.

But she knew that going to collect her belongings from the apartment would be hard. She was not looking forward to it, and prayed that Ames would not be there.

She thought about him, and couldn't feel anything but anger right now. He had been the closest thing she had to family since her mother passed, and he had betrayed that trust. She had done so much for him, put up with so much. And it all meant nothing now. Years, down the drain.

She was sure he thought it was her fault, somehow. She didn't understand he was just joking. She was too sensitive. She didn't understand the stress of his career. All his mistakes could be explained away with her shortcomings.

After about twenty minutes, she drained the tub, got dressed and decided she was ready. Harry was in the kitchen, the radio on, covering Ames' game.

"Let's do this."

"They just announced he's on the bench today," Harry said. "But he is there, so let's go."

Ames wasn't intelligent enough to change the wards, so they went right through the Floo.

"Swanky place," Harry commented, though it felt more sterile than attractive today.

They started in the bedroom, with Liv piling all her clothing into a box. Next was the few things she kept at her bureau, her perfume and makeup came with her, but she left the diamond pendant that Ames had given her for her last birthday. She didn't want to take that with her.

She took her underwear drawer out of its track, dumping the whole thing into another box. She could go through that later. On top of that box, she stuck her two pillows, sans cases.

Harry piled up the boxes by the Floo, so that when she was done, they could leave immediately. She had so much stuff in the bathroom. Did she even use this much stuff? Hell no, but she certainly wasn't leaving it.

"Kitchen stuff?" Harry asked, peeking in a cabinet.

"He can have that," Liv said. "I'm not going to be petty and take the couch I paid for either."

"Is there anything else, then?" He asked, looking around.

She had yet to find her wallet. Nothing inside was sentimental, but her work badge and sixty galleons were in there. She needed it.

"Where the fuck did he put my bag? I haven't seen it or my wallet anywhere." She muttered, tearing through the cabinets and all the hidden places of the flat. As she opened the hall closet, she noticed a particularly important box.

"Oh," she said, frozen in her tracks.

"What's that?" He asked, picking it up.

"Everything I have that was my mother's," she said. "I can't believe I almost forgot that."

"It's okay. Look, I'll hand deliver it to the house, and you keep looking for your bag."

It wasn't in the washer or dryer. Not under the bed. It wasn't hanging off the balcony. She couldn't believe him. He was keeping it hostage so she would have to see him.

That was the tipping point.

She'd managed to keep her cool until now, but she found herself sitting in the hallway, sobbing. She was glad Harry was elsewhere, because she would have been hideously embarrassed acting like this in front of anyone.

She loved Ames for so long, part of her still did. Maybe, part of her would always love him. Who he was. Why did the one person she picked to settle down with end up to be an abusive arse? Why was that her luck? Where had she gone wrong?

She didn't want to admit it, but this was grief she was feeling, and she hated it. She despised that she was dwelling on someone who had treated her like he did.

"Oh dear," Harry said, coming back to her side of the Floo to find her crying.

"Please," she begged. "I just need a moment. I'll be fine."

He moved the rest of the boxes through to the other side, before joining her on the floor. He put his arm around her gently, giving her the chance to back away, but she leaned in instead.

"I thought I had a future with him," she said, in a strained voice between sobs.

"I know," he said, rubbing her shoulder. "It's so incredibly hard to walk away from a long relationship."

"I thought we were on the same page, on the same team," she cried. "Why did he hurt me?"

"I can't answer that," he said, soothingly. "But I think we should get back to my place. We'll figure out the wallet thing tomorrow."

"I can't work if I don't have my badge," she said, a fresh round of tears springing to her eyes. "And they need me at work."

"Liv, we'll figure something out, I promise you. Now let's get out of here, please."

She gave the apartment one last glance, as if saying goodbye, then followed Harry into the Floo.

She was tired. It had been a long day, and she was emotionally drained, so she crawled into Harry's bed. He joined her, wrapping his arm around her, encouraged by her leaning into the embrace.

"I don't know what I'm doing," she said.

"About what?" He asked.

"About where I should live," she said. "I don't want to intrude more than I already have, I mean you have your friends and Teddy and he deserves some stability-"

"But?" He asked, knowing it was coming.

"I feel so safe here," she said, meekly.

"You are so safe here," he said. "You've seen my wards. Nothing can happen to you here."

She was quiet, focusing on her breathing.

"If you want to get your own place, by all means. I'll help you look, and I'll make sure you get all moved in. I'll put the same wards up that I have here," he said, running his hand up and down her arm. "But if you feel safest here, you're welcome to stay as long as you like."

There was a pause in their conversation as he could see her dark eyes mulling it over. He could tell she wasn't done asking questions.

"What...are we doing?" she asked, quietly.

He sighed. "I don't know, Liv. I like… whatever's happening though."

"Me too," she whispered.

"So, just let things progress naturally. You're welcome to the room across the hall. I want you to be comfortable."

"I'm comfortable here," she said, turning her body to face his. "If that's alright."

"Absolutely," he said.

She moved her face slowly towards his, until he met her lips with his. Every single part of her felt happy in that moment, a new kind of exhilarating comfort that made every cell feel more alive.

He continued the kiss, running his hand lightly through her hair and cupping her head so he was kissing her at precisely the right angle. The way he handled her body was new to her. It felt reverent.

"I've wanted that for so long," he said, a happy smile on his face. She couldn't help but smile herself. "One step at a time, Liv."

"One step at a time," she agreed.


	12. Chapter 12

She woke up in the morning, extra early, in case she needed to get a replacement badge. She let Harry sleep in next to her, since he looked so comfortable, but woke her before she went to leave.

"Why are you leaving so early?" He asked, barely able to lift his head off the pillow. "Come back to bed."

"The badge thing," she said.

"Oh right," he said, reaching for his glasses. "I'll see you in the office."

She headed straight for the Administrative department, looking for someone to help out. The woman who accepted her case looked old enough to be Liv's great grandmother, and had a horrible, pinched looking face.

"I just need a temporary badge to get into the Auror department," she said.

"What happened to your old one?" She asked, in a monotonous tone. "Lost?"

"No, someone else has it, I'm in the process of getting it back-"

"If it's been stolen, I need a copy of the report of theft from the Aurors."

"Which I would be glad to get for you if I could just get into the department."

"Can't let you in without a badge," she said, looking entirely unsympathetic to Liv's issue.

"Fine, it's lost then," she said. "Just give me a new one."

"That'll be ten galleons."

"Ten galleons?" Liv asked, reaching down to feel her pockets but knowing they would be empty. "Someone took my bag, I have no money on me at all. Can't you take it out of my paycheck?"

"No."

"Fine," Liv sighed angrily, stepping away from the help counter. What was she going to do? She went to the main Atrium, trying to see if she could sneak in with someone else's badge, though she knew she'd need at least a supervisor level badge to do that.

Harry showed up about ten minutes later, looking very concerned as to why she was there.

"They won't give me a new badge," she said. "Unless I show them a report of the theft, straight from the department, or I pay them ten galleons."

"Jesus, that's gotten steep," he said. "Just go pay them the galleons, Liv."

"I don't have my wallet," she said, and it all came together for him. He reached for his. "No. Can you just double swipe us both in, and I'll deal with Ames from down there."

He nodded solemnly, and made sure she got into work. The first thing she did was write to Ames, demanding the return of her wallet, and all contents.

She said good morning to Anne, asking that any visitors be run by her before allowed into the department. Then, it was time to begin her work for the day. She spent a few hours with Coorsworth pouring over bank receipts and looking for suspicious activity, before Anne told her she had mail.

She recognized Ames' handwriting, and tour it open quickly.

"I'll be happy to give them back when you come talk to me so we can settle this."

She felt chills on the back of her neck, but she shoved the letter in the drawer and went back to helping Coorsworth. When Coorsworth left, she had at least two leads to follow up on.

With shaking hands, she grabbed the letter and headed to Harry's office, closing the door behind her. Wordlessly, she handed him the letter.

He stood up, grabbing his jacket, and grabbing his badge. "Don't go anywhere, Liv."

"I just wanted to update you, you don't have to do this," she said. "I can settle it after work."

He shook his head. "I'll meet you in your office, okay?"

He was gone before she could say a word.

"What was that all about?" Holly asked, surprising Liv from behind. She had forgotten Holly worked over here now.

"Long story," Liv said, putting her hand on her head, and walking back towards her office. It did not deter Holly, who followed her.

"Are you free Saturday?" She asked. "Cian wanted to invite you and Ames over-"

"We broke up."

"For a bit of a barbecue- wait, what?"

"Ames and I aren't together anymore," Liv said slowly, trying to keep her eyes dry and her voice stable.

"Since when?"

Liv looked at her watch. "About sixty hours ago."

"You have to tell me what happened!" Holly said, looking aghast. "I thought you two were in it for the long run."

"Me too," Liv said. "But things change, and I have a really long list of things that need to get done today-"

"Who are you staying with?" Holly asked.

"A friend," she said. "Now, please-"

"Last time I checked, you didn't have any friends other than me-"

"Like I said," Liv said, her patience worn thin at this point. "Things change."

Before Holly could say anything else, Liv made it into her office and shut the door behind her, not having even half the strength that finishing that conversation would require.

She sat in her office chair, and bent her head down until it touched the ledge of the desk. On a count of three, she took deep breaths, before exhaling. People here were depending on her to do her job. She needed to pull herself together.

The door opened, and she was ready to be an arse to someone, but found it was just Harry. In his hand, he held her olive green bag, her employee badge sticking out the top of it.

"Oh my gosh," she said, standing up and taking it. "Thank you so much."

"Not a problem," he said. "But here, take this, I was supposed to be in a meeting five minutes ago."

He thrust her purse and a small plastic bag in her hands and walked quickly across the office. She shut her door, wondering what that was all about, and sat down with it all. It seemed to have everything she had left in it, but she had doubted that Ames would take anything. There was nothing of value there... a tube of Chapstick, a bus pass, some tampons, and a load of receipts. She looked over her wallet, finding every card in its spot. No money was missing, either, though Ames had twice as much money in the bank as she did, and had no reason to pick out of her wallet.

The plastic bag had one of her favorite tabloids in it- one she hadn't had a chance to pick up for herself yet. It was a very kind gesture from Harry, though she wished he had not done it if he knew he was going to be late. She didn't want to draw any attention to their... whatever it was they were doing.

She decided it was time for lunch, eating a granola bar and apple out of her desk while she thumbed through the magazine. She was able to find a little bit of zen throughout what was an insanely crazy Monday morning.

She worked late, distracting herself as much as possible, before Harry was able to pry her out of her office and come home.

"All the work will be there in the morning," he said, picking up her work bag for her.

"It's just easiest not to think about upsetting things here," she said.

"I know," he said. "Believe me, I worked 60 hour weeks regularly after the divorce. But it's not good for you. You need to be kind to yourself."

She stood up and flicked her desk light off and stretched. She took her work bag from him and followed him home.

He grabbed them takeaway Chinese food on the way home, since it was getting late. They ate it in the upstairs bedroom, across from Harry's. She needed somewhere to put all her clothes.

He sat on the bed, his legs crossed, skillfully eating pork fried rice with chopsticks as she pulled things out of boxes.

"So how'd you get my belongings back?" She asked, casually hanging a bra on a hanger and sticking it in the wardrobe.

"Told him that I didn't think his coach or manager would be very happy if I went to him with an open case regarding him stealing your wallet."

"Ah," she said. That would not have fared well for him at all.

"He produced everything rather quickly after that."

She moved on to hanging up t-shirts, noting that it was certainly time to go through her wardrobe.

"Evanson's something," he remarked. "Grilled me today about you."

"Ugh, Holly," she sighed. "She can be… persistent, I'm sorry."

"I played dumb," he said. "You can handle her when you're ready. I just get to tell her what to do and she has to listen."

"Put her on some boring assignments," she suggested. "Drive her nuts."

He laughed. "You're twisted."

"And I'll assign Houston to all her cases," Liv mused, holding up a dress to see if it would still fit. "She despises him."

"You're evil, y'know that?" He asked her, smiling. "You own an awful lot of evening gowns."

"Quidditch girlfriend," she said, examining them all. "C'mon, you should know this for yourself. Everyone's constantly getting married, plus pre-season gala, plus any post-season celebrations, and God forbid you repeat an outfit or Paisley Pappel will have all the women wondering where your spouse's money is going if he can't afford to buy you a new dress."

"Easier for a bloke, I 'spose," he said. "Same suit, different tie for every event."

"Alright, that's all the energy I've got in me tonight," she said, laying down on the bed beside him.

He put his arm around her, bringing her closer to him, and burying his face in her hair. Her contented sigh made him feel happy. He was glad he could provide her a sense of security.

"I don't want anyone at work to know what's going on," she murmured into his ear. "Between us, I mean."

"I told Rutherford today," Harry said. "He guessed something was going on and I don't like lying to my boss," he explained.

"I understand," she said. "I just don't want to make a big deal about it. I don't want people thinking I'm the one filling in for Kensington because of any connections."

He nodded. "Don't worry. We can be discreet."

"Good," she said. She nuzzled her head into his neck, taking in the musky scent of his cologne. He noticed that her breathing began to level out.

"Liv," he said, gently. "Let's get you in bed."

She sat up. "No, it's fine. I'm awake."

"Don't believe you for a second," he said, and nudged her to get up. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground.

"Definitely awake now!" she screeched, as he carried her across the hall and placed her down on his bed. He looked quite pleased with himself, and she couldn't help but laugh. "You're a real prat, Potter."

"So you've said," he said, getting under the covers next to her and dimming the lights.

"Why'd it take me so long to discover how kind you are?" She asked, quietly.

"Because you were too hurt and closed off to let anyone in," he said, quite matter-of-factly. "You've started allowing yourself to be vulnerable again."

The sound of it scared her, but she knew he was correct. Being abandoned by Holly and then hurt by Ames had left her very bitter. Maybe she was finally ready to get over that.

"One step at a time," she murmured to herself, before falling asleep beside him.

Friday night, she sat in the living room, going through the last of her boxes: her mother's things.

Harry had cooked them some marvelous roasted chicken, and brought her a plate that also included some fried polenta and sautéed greens.

"This looks amazing," she said, taking a bite.

"I might know how to cook a thing or two," he said, turning on the radio at low volume. "Anything cool in there?"

"Loads of stuff," she said. She held up a large, multicolored knit blanket. "She made this for me for Christmas one year."

"Why don't you use it?" He asked, feeling the soft fabric between her fingers.

"Too afraid of something happening to it," she said, but she wrapped it around her shoulders for now.

"All sorts of jewelry," she said, picking up the bracelets and necklaces which had become knotted over the years. "I think this is the only one worth anything."

She handed him a delicate cameo necklace on a broken silver chain. "It's beautiful."

"I gave it to her for her birthday the first year I worked at the Ministry and had a real paycheck," Liv explained. "I think everything else got pawned when she needed drug money. But this stayed no matter what, and that means a lot to me."

She dug through a few journals full of her mother's writing, far too painful for her to read, still. "Oh, this is good."

Harry inspected the light blue velvet bag, which looked like nothing really. "What's that?"

"My mum's tarot cards," she said. "Whenever rent was due and she didn't quite have enough, she'd go do readings for Muggles. They went mad for her shit."

"Do you know how to read them?" he asked.

"Of course," she said. "You Aurors and your strict schedules, Divination's actually a pretty good class."

"Read them for me, then," he said.

She held the worn deck in her hand for a moment, then began to shuffle them. She spread them out across the carpet. "Pick six."

He did, slowly, and without a discernible pattern. She took them in order and flipped them over. "The first card represents how you feel about yourself right now."

"The Hanged Man?" he asked.

"Signifies a time of passage," she said. "A new perspective or a new mindset you might be exercising."

She looked up at him, seeing if he acknowledged what she was saying. She had ideas of her own, but would let him be. It wasn't her job to do anything but interpret. "What about the next one?"

"The High Priestess," she said. "Listen to your instincts and the little voice inside your head— the Divine feminine is acting upon you to help you pursue what you want."

He nodded, though they both knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Your fears," she said, holding up The Chariot. "Are of failure. In this time of change and movement, this card is telling you that your best weapon is a calm, well-reasoned demeanor."

She picked up the next card, examining it in her hand while she decided how it fit into the others. "You have a lot of things going in your favor."

"You're setting yourself up for something great," she continued, as she picked up the next card. "But if you act too hastily, that could all slip away. No hasty decisions."

"And the outcome," she said, taking the last card. "Strength. You have all the tools you need to succeed inside you already."

She collected all the cards, putting them back in the baby blue velvet bag and tying the strings.

"I see why Muggles paid for that," he said, getting up and taking their plates to the kitchen.

"Did I upset you?" she asked, getting a strange vibe from him as he tidied up the kitchen.

"Not at all," he said, his face genuine. She placed her arm on his, and he encircled her in a tight hug. She kissed him, her lips meeting his warm mouth and sending shivers down her spine. She could easily find his affection overwhelming, but in that moment, she was lost in the pleasure.

He gave her a small boost, her ass resting on the counter of the kitchen, putting them on more equal levels. Her fingers were in his soft hair, pulling him to her. His tongue slipped beyond her lips, demanding but gentle, and she felt lost in the embrace. She'd never felt quite this way before, not with anyone she'd been with.

He pulled away, but her hands followed, cupping his face. She looked confused, trying to discern the exact message his dark green eyes were trying to convey.

"You are intoxicating to me," he whispered.

"So let's keep going—"

"I don't have the restraint," he said. "That you just reminded me is so important."

"Not me," she gasped. "The cards. Screw the cards…"

She reached for his face again, but he shook his head and stepped away. "No, Liv," he said. "One step at a time."

The tone of his voice told her he was convincing himself instead of her, but she let it be. She wanted him, oh did she want him, but he was right. Not today.

"I think I'm going to go shower," he said. "I'll be down in a bit."

She slumped down on the floor, trying to feel respected rather than rejected. There was only one thing left in the box of her mother's belongings: a night light that projected the night sky on the ceiling. She set it up, grabbed a pillow off the couch, and laid on the ground to enjoy the show.

"What's this?" Harry asked, laying down next to her.

"My absolute favorite thing as a child," she said. "Whenever I was upset, or had a bad dream, she'd set it up for me. Probably bartered it off someone, who knows. I'm amazed it still works."

"It's fun to watch," he said.

"I'm guessing you never gave much thought to Astronomy either?" She asked.

He gave her a look. "We've got entirely different skill sets, Wellwood."

After a moment of silence, she turned to him.

"How long did it take you to feel normal after the divorce?"

"Hmm," he sighed, and she wondered if she was pressing too much. He thought about it for a moment. "A few months until I didn't think about it every day. A year in, I finally felt at peace with the decision."

"Wow," she said, not wanting to feel like _this_ for that long.

"We were together almost ten years," he said. "Married for six. Went through a lot together. Our lives… they were so enmeshed. That's hard to walk away from."

"I bet," she said, suddenly feeling guilty for complaining about her situation when she'd been with Ames less years than he'd been married.

"It's hard any time you walk away from someone you've built a life with," he reminded her. "Married or not."

"Has it been hard to date?"

"I haven't, much," he said. "Some women just want to date me for their fifteen minutes of fame, maybe a small picture on the front of the Daily Profit."

"That's disgusting."

"That's reality," he shrugged. "But yeah, I suppose it's hard. Though whether that's me or the situation, I couldn't tell you. Had a few short flings with girls traveling, especially easy abroad when they've no idea who I am, but not a single person worth introducing to Teddy or my friends."

She nodded. She didn't allow herself to dwell further in the possibility of them, because she was wholeheartedly content with everything they had going at that moment.

**Author's Note: So sorry this is up a few days later than intended! I really appreciate eerypne wh dropped me a line to make sure everything is okay. Friday's chapter will be up tomorrow, and on Monday we shall return to our regularly scheduled M/W/F upload schedule! Thanks to my beta, potter-reading-coastie. Reviews appreciated! Thanks all!**


	13. Chapter 13

She didn't have many letters come to her desk, so she picked it up and used her finger to pick off the wax seal. She didn't recognize the writing on the outside, but as soon as she unfolded the parchment, she felt dizzy.

_"Liv-_

_Would love it if you'd grace me with your presence over a cup of coffee tomorrow. I earnestly think we have some things to talk about._

_Best,_

_Simon"_

She set it down, thinking it over. Did she have anything to discuss with Simon? If he was looking for help with Ames, she was not the person to be turning towards.

She considered their friendship, having known Simon just as long as Ames. Simon was obvious closer with Ames, but she couldn't deny that he was one person she didn't feel actively abandoned by.

Simon had done nothing wrong, she decided. He deserved to hear her half of the story.

She set the letter aside while she finished up working, though it was hard to put it off her mind. Was this a set up of some sort? Did she really owe him anything?

No. She didn't. But she had such a soft spot for Simon, she couldn't say no. She took a piece of fresh parchment paper out and replied that she would meet him.

"I honestly don't love the idea," Harry said, when she told him about Simon's invitation. He stood over the stove. She sat at the table, sipping a glass of wine, while he worked on dinner. The smell of garlic permeated the kitchen, and she couldn't wait to see what he was making.

She considered his opinion, but when he glanced at her over his shoulder, it was more discerning than anything.

"I just feel his message was very genuine," she said, tracing the table's wood grain with her fingernail. "And if the situation was reversed I would want to hear his side of the story."

"You don't have to convince me," he said, though he faced away from her, sprinkling the stir fry with fresh pepper. He divided it between two plates, then set them down on the table.

"I know..." She sighed, pulling the plate closer to her so she could spear a shrimp with her fork.

"If it's something you feel like you need to do," Harry said between bites. "Do it."

She nodded, still earnestly debating it. Was it a door she even wanted to open again? Not particularly, but for Simon...

Liv looked up at the man sitting across from her, who was so kind and supportive. She saw his green eyes fixated lazily on the table. As he took another bite of food, he caught her looking at him, and she couldn't help but smile at Harry.

"I absolutely trust you're going to do what's right for you," he said, between bites. "Just let me know what you decide, yeah?"

She nodded, absentmindedly pushing a green bean around her plate.

"I haven't seen you smoke in awhile," he observed.

"Oh," she said, realizing he was correct. "Just haven't felt the urge to, I suppose."

"Makes sense," he said.

"The smoking was a recent thing," she explained. "The last six months or so. It helped me stop and take a deep breath when I needed to."

"We've all got our vices," he said. Underneath the table, she nudged his sock clad food and he nudged back, briefly smiling at her. The simple touches of comfort especially grounded her, a flush creeping up her neck from the wine.

"Dinner is delicious," she said, scooping the last bite of it into her mouth. He was a great cook, and seemed to enjoy it. She didn't have any complaints about living here. There was nothing she was trying to escape from in this house.

When he was done eating, she picked up their plates and charmed them to wash themselves. "Let's go upstairs."

After thinking about it all night, she knew she wanted to speak to Simon. If she declined, she would always want to have a conversation with him. She had things to say, things he deserved to know.

"Do you want company?" Harry asked, when she told him over lunch that she confirmed with Simon.

"I think I've got things handled," she said, knowing Simon posed no threat.

"Do you think Ames is going to be there?"

"That never even occurred to me," she said, honestly. "I really don't think Simon would do that to me. It's just not in his nature. And if Ames truly wanted to get in touch with me, he could've already."

"Well, I look forward to hearing about how it goes," he said. "I'll be home late tonight anyways, Ron and Hermione invited me over for dinner."

"Ah," she said. "Enjoy."

"Hermione invited you as well," he said.

She found herself chewing on her lip at the thought of meeting his friends. Unsure of what they knew about her, and nervous in general, she was almost glad she had plans. But she couldn't hide from them, especially after everything he had done for her.

"That's kind of her. Perhaps this weekend?"

His eyes lit up in mild surprise. "Yeah, I'll see when they're free."

"Great," she said. She looked down at her watch and realized she needed to be back in her office in three minutes. "Anyways, I've got a meeting with Rutherford I'm about to be late for. Catch up with you later."

"Good luck, Liv," he said.

He apparated to their small cottage, enjoying the familiar sight. Moss grew on the thatched roof, while a handful of flowers bloomed in window boxes off the first floor. He let himself in.

"Hello?" he called, removing his shoes at the door.

"In the kitchen!" Hermione called, and he found her standing at the sink. He gave her a friendly hug, kissing her cheek to say hello. "Just you?"

"Sorry to disappoint," he joked. He poked his head out the back door, and when he caught a glimpse of Ron trying to light the pilot on the Muggle grill, he decided it was best to leave him be.

"Now you know that's not what I meant!" Hermione said, pointing an ear of corn at him and smiling. "Now come here and help me shuck this."

"How's work?" He asked, before grabbing an ear of fresh corn from the plastic bag on the counter, and starting to peel the thick green layers off. Once he removed the silky threads from between the kernels, he handed them to Hermione to wash.

"Same old, same old," she said. "So many projects fly in to my inbox, a few fly out, occasionally there's one I care about."

She seemed more apathetic than usual about her beloved job, and he wondered if she'd had a bad day or if she and Ron had rowed before he showed up. That didn't quite feel like the explanation though, so he left it. "Sorry to hear it."

"Nonsense," she said. "I hear your life's pretty exciting these days."

"Always people up to no good that need to be chased down. You know how the Ministry is," he said.

"Harry bloody Potter, you know that's not what I'm talking about," she said, turning to him and brandishing an ear of corn in his direction once more. He noted not to accept dinner invitations involving corn in the future.

He shrugged.

"Tell me about _her_."

"I'm certain Ron already has," Harry countered, though he knew Ron had expressed, rather vocally, an initial dislike of Liv. Harry wasn't certain how much of it was his desire for Harry and Ginny to get back together, even years later, and how much of it was genuinely based off Liv's character. Or at least, the impression of Liv that Ron had known.

"Of course he has," she said quickly. "But I want to hear your version."

"She's brilliant," he said, trying to think about all the qualities he wanted to present her as to Hermione. He strove for authentic, but also wondered if helping Hermione like Liv would ease Ron in that direction as well.

"She was a Ravenclaw."

Hermione nodded in appreciation. She'd always admired the Ravenclaws. "Younger than us?"

"Yeah, a bit," he admitted.

She turned to face him, trying to get an answer on how much younger without having to ask _too _nosey of a question.

"What's the rule?" he asked, jokingly. "If your years at Hogwarts overlapped, she's not too young?"

Hermione laughed at him, covering her mouth.

"It's a rule, innit?" he asked. "Seriously?"

"We'd have to ask Bill," she said, and they laughed again.

"Regardless, yes," he said. "But she's not a kid… she's a senior researcher, worked her way up from intern."

"That's impressive," Hermione acknowledged.

"She just looks at the endlessly complicated situations that they want us to solve and gets a totally different set of information than I do," he said. "I don't know how else to explain it, but she's incredibly gifted. She understands Astrology and Divination in a way that I didn't think possible."

He saw Hermione scrunch her nose at the mention of subjects she struggled with. "Keep her away from Bill, for sure."

"What about my arsehole of a brother?" Ron asked, appearing on the other side of the screen window in front of the sink. One eyebrow was a bit singed off. Harry wondered if he knew.

"That Liv sounds like just his type," Hermione said, playfully.

Ron groaned as he came in the house. "Actually, he can have her."

"She's mine," Harry said, possessively. Ron and Harry shared a glance, and Ron shrugged, grabbing the corn and a platter of chicken to bring to the grill. He didn't stick around long.

"Ignore him," she said, as soon as Ron was out of earshot. Harry knew his friend, and was secure enough to know Ron would eventually accept Liv. But it would be a group effort to get him there.

"I didn't like her at first, either," he admitted. "Oh, we've clashed plenty in the past at work. But I got to know her and… I found something I didn't know I was looking for, I guess."

"I want to take things a little slowly," he continued to explain. "And I mean, would you bring someone around that prat?"

"I know," she sighed.

Hermione turned around to face him, her hand resting on her hip.

"What?"

"You realize she's literally living with you already? That doesn't sound slow to me."

He shrugged. "I dunno what to tell you about that."

Hermione was quiet for a few moments, then asked earnestly, "Does she make you happy?"

"Deeply" he said, enthusiastically. "It's not… not what I expected. This relationship feels very different."

"What's Teddy think of her?"

"Adores her," he said, quick enough that Hermione knew he didn't have to think about it. "And it's mutual. They took to each other quickly. She doesn't have any family left, her Mum seemed a bit… absent, and she's dead, and so far, she's fit… in really well with us."

"She sounds excellent," she said, earnestly. "And he'll come around, you know that."

Harry nodded. "I know."

"But for that to happen, you've got to bring her around, yeah?" she asked. "Did you even invite her? Wait, did Ron even pass along my message-"

"Yes," he said. "She had plans."

"Before or after you invited her?"

"I… may have mentioned it after she told me she had plans," he said sheepishly.

"Next time?"

"I promise," he said, earnestly.

"Good," she said, nodding in approval. She grabbed two bottles of Butterbeer from the fridge. "I'm going to clean up in here, bring one to Ron?"

Harry narrowed his eyes at her. "I see what you're doing here, Granger."

"I'm not even pretending I'm hiding it," she said, defensively. "Now go fix his eyebrow, please?"

He smiled at his friend, and went to make conversation with Ron.

She left work a little early to meet Simon, unfamiliar with the shop he'd requested her to meet at. She'd been running late, and knew he would beat her there.

Surely enough, she found him sitting alone in the back of the coffee place, a pot of tea and two cups in front of him. "Liv!"

Upon her arrival at the table, he stood up and greeted her, kissing her on both cheeks. "How are you, Simon?"

"I'm alright," he said, pouring her a cup of tea, then offering her sugar. She plucked a single cube from the pile. "How are you?"

She shrugged. "Work has been keeping me busy. I'm alright."

"Where are you staying?" He asked.

"With a friend from work," she explained. There was no need to give him more details than that- it simply wasn't his business.

"You're okay there?" He questioned, looking earnestly invested in her well-being.

"Oh yes," she said. "I'm fine."

A moment passed, as neither of them wanted to bring up Ames first. She idly sprinkled the bitter tea with just a small amount of extra sugar.

"You said we had something to discuss?" Liv questioned, innocently, hoping that would provoke Ames to have the conversation they needed to have.

"Ah, yes," Simon said, nervously fidgeting his hands. "Ames is not doing very well."

"How do you mean?"

"He's just... in rough shape," he said. "His coach tried contacting you and when he couldn't get in touch with you called me for help. He's drinking a lot, he's very volatile, and we have no idea what to do with him."

She considered the situation. Part of her wanted to run to Ames' side, help him get back on his feet. To do what needed to be done. But she was hesitant, because the very idea of it made her stomach turn.

"I'm not sure what you want from me," she said.

"I was just hoping you'd have some insight into what his issue is," Simon explained. "You know him best out of anyone."

"His issue is that alcohol makes him violent," she said, trying to remain calm. "And he drinks quite a lot."

"Yes, but what can we do about that?"

When she heard him ask what they could do about that, she immediately got upset. She had to separate herself from his well being. She simply did not have the personal resources to help Ames. They had been depleted during her time as his punching bag.

"Simon," she said. "I'm sorry. I can't be a part of this. I can't help Ames right now."

"What do you mean?" He asked, eyes flashing in brief anger.

"For my own well being," she said slowly. "I can't help you get Ames help. I just can't. I want nothing but the best for him, but I cannot be a part of this."

"Liv?" Simon asked. "Was he violent towards you?"

She simply nodded. "That was the final straw for me. I gave him chances to clean up his act. I just couldn't be with someone who was okay with hurting me any longer."

"It happened more than once?" Simon asked, looking surprised.

She nodded.

"Fuck," he said, rubbing the hair on the back of his neck. "He needs help."

"I agree," she said, staring down at the cup of tea she didn't want to sip. "You might be the only person who could get through to him. I thought that I could but I couldn't and I got out and I have to stay out."

"How long has this been going on?" Simon asked. "Why didn't you go to anyone for help? That's not like you, Liv. You don't put up with being a punching bag."

"A few months," she explained, though felt a slight resentment he was turning things around on her. "I've got help now. I'm in a safe place and I have good company."

"You should have told me," Simon said, looking distraught. "Do you think I wouldn't have helped you?"

"I didn't want to put anyone in the middle," she explained. "I thought it was between Ames and I. I thought it was something temporary, something I could fix. I didn't realize the magnitude of his issues were beyond something I could help."

Simon just shook his head. "I can't believe he's let himself go like this."

She swirled her spoon around the tea cup, watching the dark tea form a small whirlpool against the stark white, ceramic cup. There was nothing else she could think of to say.

"Do you think he'd be violent towards others?"

"That's not a question I can answer, Simon," she said. "I never thought he'd be violent towards me. But I rather doubt it. Try to reason with him while he's sober, perhaps you'll have better luck."

The conversation between them stopped flowing eagerly as she saw Simon calculating, considering the best way to deal with Ames. She figured this was a good place to step out.

"It's been nice to catch up," Liv said, dabbing at her chapped lips with a napkin. "But I should really get going."

He nodded. "Thank you for meeting me, Liv. I'm sure it wasn't easy."

"Anytime." She stood, and accepted a hug from him. He held her tightly for an extra long moment before holding her an arm's length away.

"Please, if you need help, feel free to contact me."

She nodded. "Be well."

"Take care of yourself," he said. She exited the coffee shop quickly, figuring out where she was in relation to Harry's so she could begin a walk home.

She had only made it about two blocks away when the overwhelming urge for nicotine had her digging through her purse in search of a cigarette. She stopped on a street corner and lit it with a match, holding the small white tip to her mouth and inhaling.

The familiar smell, taste, and burn helped her simultaneously calm down and feel alive. As she walked home, she smoked another, and another, sinking into deep loathing. As she turned on to Grimmauld Place, she looked into the pack. There were only two left.

Her brain tried to justify things- she didn't want to waste the two she had left, she'd already paid for them. Smoking two more wouldn't kill her.

But she didn't _want _to feel chained to this pack of cigarettes anymore. She hesitated for a moment, before taking the two slender sticks out of the pack and breaking them in two. Small brown tendrils of tobacco littered the ground as she chucked the pack into a nearby garbage can.

The house was empty, which didn't help her feel any better. She couldn't blame Harry for wanting his own social life. She _had_ been invited, after all. Her stomach felt sour when she thought about how she had chosen meeting Simon over Harry's invitation.

She made a brief stop in the fridge, peeking at what was available in the kitchen. Leftover chicken from the other night didn't appeal to her much, so she decided she could go without dinner for now.

When she got the the landing on the third floor, she took an unfamiliar left turn into the bedroom across the hall. Her bedroom, technically, though she'd yet to spend a night in this bed. Resting on the edge of the bed, she began to unlace her work boots.

She stripped off the work shirt and pants, the last clothes she'd ever make smell like cigarette smoke, before balling them up and tossing them into her laundry basket. Her bra was annoying her, as she couldn't get the straps to sit right, so that got thrown on top, in favor of her silk dressing gown.

Feeling weird about going into Harry's room without him there and also ashamed of smoking earlier, she laid down on "her" bed, though upside down so her feet lay on the pillow. She lazily traced the pattern in the wallpaper with her finger, losing focus on it until she succumbed to sleep.

**Author's Note: Once again, so sorry for the delay! There will be a chapter posted every day between now and Friday to get us up to speed. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed or left a message for me! And permanent thanks to my beta, potter-reading-coastie!**


	14. Chapter 14

He entered the house, which was suspiciously quiet. Upon seeing Liv's work bag in the kitchen, he knew she was home and got a little concerned. He'd been worrying about her all evening. Perhaps he should have rescheduled with Ron and Hermione, but hindsight was always clearer.

She wasn't in his bedroom, but he found her across the hall, curled up asleep. Her dark hair splayed out across the white duvet, while her shiny dark green bathrobe clung to every curve on her body, just a faint sliver of pale skin exposed. She was so beautiful to him, that he found himself watching her for just a moment.

Patience, he thought, and sat down on the bed next to her. When that didn't cause her to stir, he pressed his lips close to her ear. "Liv?"

She slowly stirred, her dark eyes blinking drowsily at him. He swore he could faintly smell cigarettes on her, but didn't say anything. "Hi."

"Everything okay?" He asked, laying down next to her.

She nodded, covering her mouth as she yawned. "Meeting was a bit stressful, but ultimately Simon just wanted my help getting Ames the help he needs."

He wasn't pleased by the sound of that, but had to remind himself to gently probe to allow her to feel safe here. "What did you say?"

"That for my own well being, I can't be involved in that," she explained. "I want him to help Ames. I want Ames to get the help he needs to face his demons. I just can't be the one talking him into it or supporting him through it."

She looked up at him innocently, trying to gauge his response to that. He just pulled her closer to him, wanting her to know just how happy that made him.

"I'm glad you stood up for yourself," he said.

She nodded, sleepily moving herself into his warm embrace. "How was dinner?"

"It was nice," he said. "Good to catch up with them."

"Good," she said.

"Any reason you came in here?" he asked, lightly running his hand up and down her side, cherishing the silky, thin fabric between her skin and his hand.

"I smelled like cigarettes and didn't want to stink up your room," she said quite honestly, beginning to sit up. As she had moved, her robe had become slightly undone, and Harry tried to remain focused on her face.

"Ah," he said "Makes sense."

"I'm glad I met with Simon," she said. "But I think I need to let that portion of my life be for awhile. It's just too much for me to handle right now."

"You've got enough on your plate right now," he said.

"I don't like the me that was with Ames," she murmured. "As soon as I'd left Simon, the urge for a cigarette was overwhelming. I smoked the entire way home... after effortlessly quitting. I don't like that."

"It doesn't have to be your life anymore," he assured her.

"I'm glad it's not," she said, getting up off the bed and fixing her robe.

In the shower, she lathered up the bar of soap before scrubbing her entire body. The water, at her preferred scalding hot temperature, beat hard against her back as she focused on making sure that every part of her that smelled like smoke was washed off. It was the last time she would come home smelling like smoke.

After she dried off, she grabbed her tub of lotion from where it had been balancing precariously on the back of the toilet. The spacious, bright bathroom had her things cluttered around it, because she was afraid to truly put them away.

The jasmine scented lotion helped soothe her skin, angry from the vigorous scrubbing and steaming water. She finally felt more like herself, at peace with the closure gained from the day. She squeezed the excess water from her hair, before tightly braiding it.

Harry was already in bed, reading, as she joined him. She was so attracted to him, and wanted to jump his bones, but he seemed so cautious with her. She wanted to respect that, to let him know how much she appreciated the space in which to be herself. She hoped a more physical side of their relationship would develop in time.

As she settled into the bed, she nudged him, seeking physical contact. He managed to rub her back soothingly with one hand while he used the other to hold his book. The gentle but firm affection lulled her into a deep sleep.

The next morning, she was sitting at her desk, taking alternate bites of a huge bagel and long sips of coffee. She was at peace, but starving from skipping dinner the night before. She just needed a little time to herself before delving into the long day of meetings and reviewing cases she had ahead of her. She lazily flipped through the morning's paper, not caring to read too closely.

"Have you seen this?" Holly demanded, barging into the office. She held the morning paper in her hand, and looked incensed.

"What?" Liv asked, through a mouth full of poppy seed bagel.

Holly laid the back cover of the Daily Prophet on her desk, which had a large article titled

_Tutshill Tornado Checks Into Rehab, Sparking a Storm of Questions._

Sure enough, a picture of Ames being escorted into a building by Simon, who had his hand up to block the picture, was front and center under the title.

"Oh."

"Oh?" Holly asked. "Oh? That's all you have to say about this?"

Liv looked up at Holly for a moment, entirely unsure of how to act. She was left sitting there, her mouth slightly agape.

"Why did you let this get to this point?" She asked. "Why aren't you supporting him in his time of need?"

"This is not my fault. This is not my problem. Get the fuck out of my office," Liv said, finally deciding that anger was the way she was going to deal with this today. "Out!"

Holly looked flabbergasted at the thought of being kicked out of Liv's office.

"Liv, c'mon, what's gotten into you?" She pleaded. "Who even are you these days?"

"I told you to get out," Liv said, standing up and pointing to the door. "If you don't leave, I'll be happy to send you home for the day."

As soon as Holly got the point and left, Liv slammed the door with all her body weight, enjoying the loud thud it made as it collided with the door frame.

Her enjoyment stopped there, as she choked back tears at her desk. Perhaps she had been too harsh with Holly. She was mourning the loss of the entire person she thought she was for so long.

Her chest tightened and her mouth went dry as she funneled her energy into not crying, though a few tears did spillover. For the most part, she was left alone for the day. Surely, people had heard her slam the door, and seen the papers, and put things together.

When she was certain she wouldn't cry, she dared to read the a_rticle in the Daily Prophet._

_Ames Jacoby, 29, chaser for the Tutshill Tornadoes, voluntarily checked himself into a rehabilitation facility in the late hours of Thursday night. Accompanied by friend and colleague Simon Stillwater, chaser for the England team, Jacoby declined to comment upon entering the building. His appearance was especially haggard compared to the promotional photos published earlier this spring by the Tornadoes. _

_Upon his departure, Stillwater declined to say much, citing "Jacoby's one of my best mates and a good man. He's in the right place right now. I know that once he's received the help he needs, the whole league will welcome him back to the sport openly."_

She couldn't finish reading, but balled it up and threw it into the trash can in the corner. She wasn't even sure how to handle herself. She was seething at Holly, upset at herself, sad that Ames' dark moments in life were being broadcast for entertainment value. Through all of that, she felt herself aching for the embrace of a certain dark haired man working across the office who had no idea she was hurting so bad.

After a long, tense day, during which Liv had spent only half of her time hiding in her office, Harry found himself having to pry Liv out of the office once more.

"You're going to burn out," he said, sitting down in one of the chairs opposite her desk.

"I'll deal with it when it becomes an issue," she said, not even glancing up. "I didn't get much work done this morning, I'm just trying to get to a good stopping point for the weekend."

"There is no perfect stopping point," he said. "But luckily everything will still be here Monday morning."

She cut her stack in half, prepared to stick the files in her work bag if necessary. "I'm just in a good working groove."

"You just don't want to have to deal with life beyond the office walls."

"Nope," she said. "I'm quite content with life inside these four walls."

He watched her for a moment, pouring over the open case, making sloppy notes quickly with her quill. The entire side of her right hand was black from smudged ink. A sigh escaped his lips, causing her to look up.

"Come with me, please," he pleaded. "I'll take your mind off whatever's troubling you tonight and we can deal with it together tomorrow."

The sound of that piqued her interest, and she closed the manila file she was clutching. She slid the pile into her black leather work bag, and stood up.

"Yeah?" He asked, looking surprised she was interested in joining.

"I'm yours for the evening," she said.

He wished she was his for much more than just the evening, but would settle for what he could get. "Let's go."

She followed him out of the department, which was nearly empty after hours on a Friday, and they made their way towards street level. The dense, humid London air felt heavy as she tried to take a deep breath. It was the kind of humidity that made her skin feel damp and clammy after only a few block's walk.

He was walking fast through crowds of people, and she was having a hard time keeping up. She sprung off her step a little faster, and managed to grab him by the hand, grasping his fingers between hers. He seemed a bit surprised, but went with it.

She had a feeling he was taking her to the Leaky Cauldron, and she didn't actually hate the idea. Considering the dismal weather, not many people were there, and they were able to snag a table right away.

"This alright?" He asked, scooting into the booth across from her.

"Perfect, actually," she said. A strawberry blonde woman named Hannah came around and got their drink orders, greeting Harry as if they were old friends. She didn't see Neville anywhere this time.

Hannah was quick to bring her a glass of wine, for which she was very grateful.

After taking a sip, she turned to Harry. "How was your day?"

"My day?" Harry asked, slightly surprised. "Nothing out of the ordinary. My teams' pretty busy- that Dodger case is taking up most of my resources."

"Yeah," she said, remembering exactly which case that was. "That's definitely going to take a lot of manpower."

"I'm sending a few of my team to do an overnight watch next week," he said. "I'll probably join them."

She didn't like the idea of him not being home for a night, but she couldn't tell him not to go. It was his job. "Alright."

"Holly is going to be the end of me," she said, between bites of Shepherd's Pie. "I don't even know what to do about her."

"What happened?" He asked, completely unaware. She had assumed he would have heard something.

"Did you get a chance to look at the Prophet today?"

"No," he said. "I was too busy this morning. Why?"

"The back cover featured a lovely article about Ames checking into a rehabilitation facility," she said, quietly, pushing around vegetables with her fork.

"Oh," he sighed. "Wow."

"It's good," she said. "That's where he needs to be right now. But she came into my office mad that I had abandoned him in his time of need."

Harry sighed. "That's bullshit and you know it, Liv."

"She doesn't know the half of it," Liv explained, her chest feeling tight again. "But I feel so out of touch from the point in my life where she was my best friend. It feels like she's out to make me miserable. I spent a lot of time cooped up in my office today just avoiding her."

"If it makes you feel any better, she's in the field most of next week," he said. "I had to get her out of the office, she's a handful to manage."

"It does, a bit," she said. "She's a good Auror, and she works hard. But we are just not on the same wavelength right now."

"Ending relationships can cause a ripple effect in unexpected places," Harry said, reaching out and grasping her hand. "I definitely experienced it when Ginny and I split. Things weren't great between you and Evanson before you split up with Ames."

Liv nodded, finishing off the glass of wine. "I'm just not sure whether to attempt to explain myself or let it go."

"Give it time," he said. "Time will heal a lot, Liv."

"What ripples did you experience?" She asked, shifting the subject away from Holly. It was just something she didn't want to think about anymore today.

"Ron was mad at me for months," he explained. "Wouldn't speak to me for a few weeks. He didn't understand."

"But how did you get over that?"

"Time," he said. "Eventually he was ready to listen to my side of things. I'm sure eventually Holly will be ready to listen to yours."

Hannah stopped by their table, bringing refills of their drinks.

"Did you make plans with Ron and Hermione for this weekend?" She asked.

"They're going camping up north with Hermione's family," he explained. "Perhaps one night next week?"

"Sounds good," she said. "I'm sure Weasley has a less than favorable impression of me."

Harry chuckled, but Liv's eyes were inquisitive. "You'll grow on him."

Weasley had worked in the Auror department with both of them until a year prior when he switched departments. Liv never thought of him as a truly competent Auror, but she would not say anything to Harry about that.

"We could go to midnight karaoke," he suggested, a smile on his face.

She laughed, recalling how she had mentioned it the last time they were sitting in the exact same spot. "I'm not so sure."

"But I'd love to hear you drunkenly singing Celestina Warbeck songs in front of dozens of strangers," he said.

She blushed a bit, but easily recognized that he was teasing her. "I'm fairly sure those days have come and passed for me. However, if you want to get up there and sing, I'm fully supportive of you."

"I would need about three more shots of fire whiskey," he said, smiling. "And you to discard every copy of the Daily Prophet on Monday."

"But the picture evidence would be the best part," she countered.

"Do you want another drink?" He asked, noticing her wine glass was nearly empty. His own glass had probably a sip left.

"I think I'm good for tonight," she said. "Don't need to make a habit out of getting sloshed here."

He paid the check and they began their walk home. She felt significantly better than she had two hours before, like a giant weight had been lifted off her chest. Harry had a knack for knowing exactly how to improve her mood. While they'd sat eating dinner, a large rain storm had come through, breaking the humidity, so their walk home was rather pleasant.

He had his arm around her as they walked, and she felt so comfortable. They didn't speak much, feeling content enough in their silence. She was full, pleasantly buzzed, and very grateful for him. She hoped he knew how much she appreciated his investment in her well being.

As they walked into the house, she went to put her work bag away for the weekend, and he tended to the pile of mail on the table. She was tired, but still had some energy left in her, and that energy fueled a fire of longing for Harry.

She didn't know how to approach him about wanting more, physically, so she climbed up to the third floor and got comfortable instead of making a fool of herself. She shed her work clothes for a pair of shorts and a tank top. In the bathroom, she braided her long, dark hair, feeling nervous for reasons entirely in her head.

She found him in the bedroom, getting ready for bed. He had picked up the book he kept on his bedside table, and she felt like any opportunity to physically engage him seemed lost.

Slipping into the soft sheets, she approached him gently. He turned, looking pleasantly surprised, and leaned over to kiss her.

The kiss reignited desire within her, fueling it harder than before. Before she knew it, they were snogging. His hands were all over her body, and she felt thoroughly intoxicated by him. She wanted him so badly.

Since their bodies were so tightly pressed together, she could feel how aroused he was growing and that reassured her. He broke away from her for a moment to catch his breath.

"I really want you," she whispered, leaning her forehead against his.

The brief pause gave him a slight moment in which to get his head on straight. "Liv..."

"Please," she pleaded, grinding her hips into his. "I know you want me too..."

"Liv..." He sighed. It was with the utmost restraint he shifted away from her, despite her poor reaction to it. He could see every muscle in her face tighten, her eyes turn down sadly.

"Maybe I assumed too much," she said. She had to turn away from him, so he wouldn't see her crumple in the frank vulnerability of the situation. "My apologies."

"Please," he said gently, brushing her hair off her shoulder. "Do you know how much restraint I have to exercise around you every day?"

"So just go for it!" she claimed, exasperated.

"No," he said. "I really like you, Liv. I want to do things right here. I don't want to rush things and just be a rebound. Maybe things won't work out, maybe they'll be greater than either of us can imagine— but I think we could both use further distance from your relationship with Ames before we go any further."

She was silent, taking in what he has to say as both incredibly heartwarming and frustrating. She was busy chewing on the dry skin on her lips and staring at the pattern in the ceiling. Afraid of how she'd betray her emotions if she dared look him in the eyes, she maintained a stony look as her eyes traced the swirling plaster.

"I hope I haven't sent you mixed messages," he said. "I want to be here to comfort you."

"You have been," she said, finally breaking her silence as she felt some of the tension in her chest dissipate. "You've shown me more kindness than I've known in the past few weeks. Thank you."

In her peripheral, she saw him nod. His hand entwined with hers, squeezing it in a way that was supposed to be comforting. In a quiet voice, he whispered, "it's been a pleasure. Truly."

She swung her legs over the bed to go into the bathroom. She turned the tap on cold, and stuck her hands under it, watching as her fingers turned white. She cupped her hands together, collecting the icy water before splashing it on her face. Although the rejection stung, she tried to use her brain to rationalize what her heart couldn't quite grasp yet.

The cold water on her face reminded her to breathe, easing the cravings for worse vices. In the mirror, she saw her face grow less red, tension easing from every joint in her body. She nudged the medicine cabinet behind the mirror open, looking for a simple sleeping draft she knew Harry would have stored in there.

Using her thumb nail, she popped the cork out of the small glass bottle, taking a sniff to verify she had the right potion. Its earthy yet minty scent filled her nostrils, and she knew it was correct. She tipped her head back, swallowing just a small sip. Before she had replaced the cork in the bottle, she began to feel calmer already.

He remained in bed, watching her quietly as she got back into bed. She could tell he was unsure of how to act towards her, so she wrapped her arms around his back, enjoying his warmth. She heard him sigh contently, reaching for one of her hands to clasp in his. Sleep overcame her quickly.

**Author's Note: Happy Wednesday, folks! Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think, and there will be a new chapter up tomorrow and Friday as well **** Thanks to my beta, potter-reading-coastie for his help with this story. **


	15. Chapter 15

She'd just finished a loop of the offices and cubes in her department, and was looking forward to a quick lunch break. Everyone's status had been satisfactory. The department was running smoothly.

"Wellwood."

She was so thoroughly invested in going through the open cases that she didn't hear her name being called.

"Hey! Wellwood!"

She turned, startled, to see Harry leaning out of the Alpha conference room. She furrowed her brow, unsure of what he was up to. She had grown unfamiliar with hearing him call her by her last name.

"What's up?" she asked, from ten paces away.

"I could use your help," he said, gesturing towards her. "Come here."

She did as he asked, ducking into the conference room to see the eight Aurors on his team sitting around the table, with a few interns standing along the back wall. She avoided making eye contact with Holly, who was staring her down from across the room.

"What's going on?" she asked, putting her hand on her hip. She didn't feel comfortable having this many eyes on her at once.

"Dodger case," he said. "We've all examined these magical activity maps and we're stumped. Care to take a look at them and see if there's something we've all missed?"

She nodded, trying to spread them out on the table, before deciding it was too much to look at like that. She waved her wand, sending them all to stick against the wall.

The room was painfully quiet as she walked along the wall, tracing the activity with a finger. This particular corner of the Forest of Dean had some wacky patterns in the magic.

"Quill?" she asked, reaching her hand out in Harry's direction, without taking her eyes off the map. He handed her one, and she began to circle anything she found suspicious, working her way across the wall and around the corner. Then she walked back, ripping down every piece of paper she hadn't marked up.

She blindly handed the stack of irrelevant papers to Harry. "I need a calendar."

"Casali," Harry said, indicating one of the interns. "Grab Wellwood a calendar from my office."

The scrawny, scared looking intern moved quickly, though Liv didn't take her eyes off the wall in her absence. Her mind was turning.

The girl returned with the calendar off Harry's wall, and she accepted it before comparing it to the movement on the wall. She made more notes as she consulted the calendar. She pulled down a few of the lesser important papers, but didn't discard them.

"Do you see it now?" She asked, stepping back as they all peered at the papers. They were silent for a few minutes while she stood awkwardly in front of them. Fucking hell, she hated standing in front of a group.

"It's a cycle," Harry said, after it was clear no one on his team had a clue.

"Yes!" She said. "It directly reflects the lunar cycle of the last two and a half months."

A few members of his team got up to see her notes up close, cursing themselves for not thinking of the pattern in front of them.

"I told you," she said, pointing to Harry. "You Aurors could use more education in astronomy and divination."

He didn't respond, not in front of his team. "So the full moon corresponds with the peak of suspicious activity?"

"Yes," she said to him. "Your next full moon is next week, so I would expect things to start picking up the closer we move to Sunday, if these are any indication of what to expect."

"Great. Thank you, Wellwood."

She nodded, before taking that as a cue to leave the crowded conference room, and headed back towards her office.

He looked particularly worried over the dinner she had cooked. His brow was furrowed, with his eyes gazing loosely behind her. She had made a simple stir fry, and she had followed the directions explicitly from the cookbook, and it wasn't burnt…

"Is my cooking that bad?" she asked, concerned.

"Oh, no!" he said, focusing on her. "You're a better cook than you give yourself credit for."

"So what's troubling you?"

He sighed, finishing the bite that he had just put in his mouth. "This Dodger case is just complicated."

"Can I do anything to help?" she asked. "Reallocate some of my department to assist your team in getting ready?"

He shook his head, putting his hand up. "Research has been done for awhile now. You helped us out immensely the other day. It's just ground work."

"Are you going to be in the field this weekend?" She asked, though she was afraid of being alone in the house.

He nodded. "At least Saturday, but possibly all weekend. And I told Andromeda months ago that I would take Teddy this weekend so she could visit her sister, but now that I have no idea how long I'll be gone, I've got to cancel on her and I hate doing that."

"I'll be here," she said. "If Teddy's comfortable staying with me, I don't mind if he's here."

"Are you sure?" He asked, looking skeptical.

"Look," she said. "I have no experience with kids. And I'm not particularly sure I'll be the most exciting caretaker. But I would love to not be alone while you're gone, and I'm pretty sure I can keep the kid alive for a day or two."

"Yeah?"

"I like Teddy," she said. "He's a good kid. So if he's comfortable, and you're okay with it, I absolutely don't mind making sure he's clean and fed."

"Great!" Harry said, shoveling the last bite of his dinner into his mouth. "Let me pop over to Andromeda's place and make sure there are no issues with that."

She cleaned up the dinner mess as he was gone, pondering exactly what she could do with a thirteen year old for a whole day. Take a hike? Let him try and teach her chess? She chuckled at what a mess that might be.

Harry was only gone a few minutes, before she heard the familiar pop in the entryway.

"Everything all good?" She asked, hand drying a dish as she poked her head into the hallway.

She was expecting Harry, but froze when she saw it was not him in the foyer. "Oh, hi Weasley."

The stocky man looked just as confused to see her there. "Wellwood?"

For a moment, there was silence as neither of them knew what to say.

"Harry stepped out, for a few," she explained, talking quickly out of nerves. "Had to go speak to Andromeda."

"Ah," he said. "I just came to drop something off for him."

"I can take it," she offered. "Or he should be back any minute."

"I'll wait."

She couldn't discern his tone, but it wasn't overly friendly, and she was just unsure of how to proceed. "I was about to make some tea, would you like a cup?"

"Uhm," he said, looking about as uncomfortable as she felt. "Yeah, sure."

She went back into the kitchen, sliding the plate she had been drying into its home in the cabinet. She put the kettle on the stove, cranking the gas heat all the way to high.

In the meantime, he had gone to grab teacups for her, which she appreciated. He seemed very familiar with the house. "Mind grabbing a third one? In case Harry wants some when he gets in."

He set three cups on the counter next to her before taking a seat at the kitchen table. Just when she thought that she might have to make actual conversation with him, she heard another pop in the hallway. She knew that this time it would definitely be Harry.

"Liv-" he said, rounding the corner into the kitchen. He cut off as soon as he saw Ron. "Hey, mate."

The tea kettle was beginning to steam, the topper just barely lifting off where it rested. She shut the gas off and poured hot water into the three ceramic cups.

"I didn't mean to interrupt anything-"

"You didn't," he said, sitting down across from Ron. "We just finished dinner and I had to step out for a moment. What's up?"

She set two cups of tea on the table in front of them.

"I just wanted to drop off some things from 'Mione," Ron said, handing him a package. "Some propaganda for the new campaign she was telling you about. Wanted to get your thoughts on it before it goes live next week."

"Oh, of course," he said, tugging at the strings tying it together.

Not wanting to intrude, Liv took her cup of tea to the living room. The previous day's Daily Prophet was on the table, a half done crossword begging to be completed. Harry must have gotten distracted. She immediately saw that he'd misspelled the Hogwarts motto, which was complicating finding answers to the remaining numbers.

She dipped her quill into the pot of ink, tapping the excess ink off before trying to turn the "e" and "n" that Harry wrote into an "a" and "m". She crossed her legs, pulling a knit throw over her, and leaned the crossword against her lap. The cup of tea balanced precariously on her left knee, the familiar, scent wafting into her nose.

She was nearly done with the crossword when Harry joined her in the living room. "Sorry about that."

"No worries," she said. "Nine letter word, starts with C, third letter l, changes colors."

"Er," Harry said, thinking for a moment. "Colovaria fit?"

She traced out the letters. "Yep, that's it."

"That's OWLS level spell work, Liv."

"Which was still before I gave a shit about school," she said, not looking up. She admired the entirely complete crossword. "What's up with Ron?"

"Oh, Hermione wanted me to look at some things she's going to begin distributing next week as part of a new campaign for underprivileged Muggleborns," he said. "She kind of has… a lot of causes."

"Interesting," she said. "Can I read?"

"Sure, if you'd like. I'm sorry if Ron was awkward," Harry said, moving towards her on the couch.

She shrugged. "He was perfectly pleasant."

"He'll warm up to you," he promised. "Ron still struggles with the fact that Ginny and I aren't together."

She furrowed her brow, looking up at him over the rim of her tea cup. "But, why?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Let's not get into that now, yeah? Teddy is quite excited to spend time with you this weekend."

Hearing that warmed her heart almost enough to distract her fully from whatever he didn't want to discuss with her. "Great!"

She lay in bed Saturday morning, keenly aware of his presence next to her. The thought of him not sleeping next to her that evening made her a little twitchy. She didn't want to get up, knowing that it would disturb his sleep. She wanted to soak up as much of his presence as possible.

Their legs were entangled, his skin comfortably warm against hers. She rested her head close to his, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest.

She peeked over his figure, at the clock on his bedside table. They had at least an hour before he had to collect Teddy. She moved towards him, wrapping her right arm around his middle. She liked how he was solid within her embrace, but not too rigid.

"Mmm," he said, his eyes fluttering.

"Good morning," she murmured.

"Good morning, beautiful."

She blushed, but couldn't help but smile. The way he treated her- with copious respect, admiration, and kindness- was still unfamiliar but thrilling to her.

He looked at her, and she could see the desire in his eyes. Something in her clicked. She shifted, pressing her lips against his with a sense of urgency.

He woke up quickly, one hand in her hair, the other around her torso. He maneuvered himself on top of her, blindly unbuttoning the flannel shirt she'd been sleeping in.

Feeling his eagerness in embracing her was worth waiting for. He was gentle with her, but not hesitant. He moved like he knew exactly what he was doing. She tugged at the hem of his old, faded Chudley Cannons shirt, wanting to pull it off him.

For a moment, he sat up, bearing his weight on his knees as he took it off. From that vantage, he grasped her hips, tugging them down, closer to him. He hooked his fingers in her shorts, and she wiggled her way out of them.

"I've wanted this for so long," he said, leaning in to kiss her tenderly. Her fingers knotted themselves in his hair as she pulled him closer to her. She dwelled in the passionate embrace, soaking in how wonderful it felt.

"I want you inside me," she pleaded, her voice thick with a mixture of emotion and desire.

He nodded, and lined himself up to enter her. She bucked her hips toward him, her soft moans encouraged him.

As he was just about to thrust into her, the chime of a visitor entering the wards sounded throughout the house.

His half closed eyes focused quickly on her face, as the look of excruciating disappointment caused her features to crumple. For a moment, he was distracted by the beautiful, vulnerable, naked woman in his bed who he so badly wanted. He had been seconds away from taking her, as he had desired for weeks, and that was now dashed.

"Someone's here," he said, moving backwards.

"Fuck them," she whined, trying to pull him back into the embrace. "They can wait."

"Liv..." He said, putting his feet back on the ground and tugging his boxers on. "I'm sorry."

She pouted, propping her head up on her elbow. She made no motions to get dressed, instead trying to distract him with her body. He knew she had wanted him just as much as he craved her. Out of necessity, he forced himself to think about miserable things that weren't the beautiful, naked woman he fancied laying in his bed.

He opened up the door, peeking out to the ground floor, where he could see Andromeda waiting in a traveling cloak. He shut the door slowly, making certain it didn't make a noise. "Teddy's here. Why don't you shower?

She nodded, swinging her legs over the bed to stand. She said nothing, but she didn't have to. Her disappointment was palpable in the air between them. She wiped at her shiny eyes, and headed for the bathroom.

There was no way for him to make her happy. Andromeda had shown up nearly an hour early, and he needed to get Teddy settled before he could head out and meet his team. He took a second to try and clear his head, slipped on a pair of flannel pajama shorts, and headed downstairs.

She was frustrated, pent up, and emotional. She wanted nothing but Harry, nothing but an entire day to lay in bed and be an absolute heathen with him.

And that was entirely out of the question for the foreseeable future. She felt vulnerable, and exposed, by the abrupt end of their fun, but tried to squash those feelings down further. They could be dealt with later.

After a quick rinse in the shower, she found herself dressing for the day and joining the blokes downstairs. Harry had breakfast cooking in the kitchen, which eased her mood... slightly.

"Liv!" Teddy said, between bites of toast.

"Good morning," she said, slipping into a seat across from him.

"You excited to spend the day with Liv?" Harry asked from the stove, where he was cracking open an egg over the hot griddle.

"Yep," he said. "I've got all the things we're gonna do written down."

"Oh?" Liv asked, amused. "What are we going to do?"

"Well," he began, taking a folded up piece of parchment out of his pocket. "Harry said we have to go preorder my text books then go to Madame Malkins and get my school robes fitted."

"September's coming sooner than you think," he said, flipping two eggs into a plate for her. She used her fork to break the yolk before dipping her toast in it. "Just want to make sure you've got what you need."

"Then we're going to order pizza and I'm going to teach you how to lose at chess."

She laughed, feeling her frustration easing slightly. It made her genuinely feel good that Teddy seemed to be excited to spend some time with her. She couldn't really put her finger on anyone ever being so eager to spend time with her. When it came to Harry though, she was still a bit miffed, though it was dissipating as she regained a clear head.

"She'll be better than you anticipate, Ted," Harry said, sitting down with them finally, to eat his own breakfast.

"I guess it's that Ravenclaw thing," Teddy mused, picking a few green grapes out of the fruit basket between them.

Harry ate quickly, and she knew that meant he had his mind on the work. She didn't want him to leave. Rationally, she knew this was his job- this would always be their job. But it didn't make it any easier.

She took the plates from breakfast and charmed them to clean themselves, keeping busy so she couldn't fret about his imminent departure. As she tidied, she heard Harry and Teddy in the living room as he set up the radio to play this afternoon's Cannons game.

Harry returned to the kitchen alone. "Come upstairs for a moment?"

She put down the plate she was drying and followed him, wordlessly. He said nothing until they were in his bedroom with the door shut behind them.

"I'm incredibly sorry," he said, sitting down next to her on his bed.

"It's okay," she said, letting out a deep sigh. "I wasn't being my most rational self."

"It's not ideal," he said. "You were in a vulnerable position and I'm not sure I did right by you-"

"Nonsense," she said, shutting him down. "We can pick things back up where we left off as soon as you're home, yeah?"

His lips curved upwards, slightly. "That would be nice."

"So you," she said, poking him square in the chest. "Best come home in one piece, yeah? Because I have plans for you."

His features melted into a happy grin, and he leaned in to kiss her. As tempting as it was to try and pull him back into bed, she knew it would just be delaying the inevitable departure. She stood up, grabbing his rucksack from the foot of the bed.

"Trying to get rid of me?" He asked.

"No," she said. "But the whole process of you leaving is slightly easier if I have a semblance of control over it."

He nodded, unable to argue with her eloquently stated self-awareness. "I should be home by morning, if all goes well."

"And I hope it does," she said.

He moved to his wardrobe, pulling the bottom drawer out and selecting a navy blue cloth pouch. From the metallic clinking when he picked it up, she knew it was holding money. "Use this for Teddy's robes today?"

"Oh, sure," she said, taking it, feeling the weight of the bag between her hands.

"You can use it on dinner too if you'd like-"

"I think I can afford a pizza," she said, sarcastically. She didn't want to burden Harry, and she could certainly afford to feed them for a night.

"It's money I set aside for Teddy every month," he said. "His Nan's not got much these days. I don't want him to go without."

The sentiment behind his actions had been warming, and she felt a bit guilty for her retort. Instead of apologizing, though, she opened the bedroom door.

They walked downstairs, so he could say goodbye to Teddy. Teddy surprised her by being incredibly blasé about his departure. He was too busy focusing on the game, which was tied.

"Shall we wait til the end of the game to head to Diagon Alley?" She asked, settling in to the chaise section of the couch.

"Nah," he said. "Cannons are gonna win, I know it."

She smirked at his confidence. "We'll see about that. Now c'mon, let's get going, yeah?"

He nodded, turning the radio off and grabbing his shoes. They took the Floo to the Leaky Cauldron, the most convenient way to get where they were going. It was a bustling Saturday, the pub full of families grabbing lunch. Liv tried to escort Teddy through as quickly as possible, not wanting to attract any attention.

"Teddy!" She heard someone call, and turned around to see Neville was hanging over the bar to greet her companion. "Oh, hello Liv."

"Hi Neville," she said, keeping her arm on Teddy's back.

"You know Liv?" Teddy asked, innocently.

Liv really didn't want to get into the gray area that she and his godfather had inhabited over the last... weeks, especially not in the crowded restaurant.

"Of course," he said. "Harry's brought her round a few times for dinner, innit right?"

"Something like that," she said, nervously. "Can't argue that you guys don't have the best Shepherd's pie this side of Hogsmeade."

He grinned. "And what are you two up to today, where's your godfather?"

"He had to work," Teddy complained. "But Liv and I are running errands and then I'm going to show her how to lose at chess."

Neville chuckled at Teddy's confidence. "Good luck with that, mate. Feel free to stop on in for a butterbeer on your way out, on me."

"Thanks, Neville," Liv said, trying to move Teddy along. She couldn't quite put her finger on how interactions with Harry's friends made her feel, though they felt easiest with Neville.

"What would you like to do first?" She asked. "Flourish and Blotts or Madam Malkins?"

"Let's do the books," he said, wrinkling up his nose at the idea of being measured for robes. So they headed towards the bookstore. Their adventure today was reminding her a lot of her own childhood, when her mother brought her to Diagon Alley to see what she could scrap together for Liv's school supplies.

Once they made it inside the bookstore, Liv went to lead Teddy upstairs.

"Only the used books are up there," Teddy said. "Harry wanted me to get the new ones."

"Right," she said. She wasn't much of a reader- of books, anyways- and had never purchased a new book for school. Even her later years in school, when she'd held a job during the summers and had some spending money, she'd only had used textbooks. This was all entirely foreign to her.

They got in line behind about eight other families, all here to do the same thing. As she waited in line, Teddy darted in and out of the aisles, picking out books. When he joined her as she was second in line, he had about six books stacked high in his arms. They ranged from Bartemus the Bat Boy's Brave Adventures, to Chess for the Beginner.

"That one's for you," he said.

She couldn't help but laugh. "Very gracious of you, Ted."

"Next in line!" a perky voice called, leading them over to a cashier.

Liv's eyes moved upwards, to the girl calling them over. Her eyes widened when she saw Marina Evanson, Holly's little sister. She blinked really quickly, trying to think about the best way to handle this encounter.

"Liv!"

"Hello," she said. She saw Teddy glance at her, curious of how this girl knew her. He placed the books he had been carrying on the counter for her to add up.

"I'm so sorry to hear about things with Ames," she said, as she added up the totals of the books.

"I'd really rather not talk about it," Liv said quietly, feeling her face grow warm. "Can we get Teddy here preordered for all these textbooks?"

"Of course," Marina said, with a familiar confused expression that Liv usually saw her sister wear. "Used?"

"New." She said, enjoying how the word sounded coming out of her mouth. She grabbed the coin purse that Harry had given her, counting out the heavy, shiny coins for Marina.

"Here's your receipt," Marina said, handing her the piece of parchment and a paper bag full of books.

"Thanks."

"See you around."

Liv put her arm around Teddy and led him out of the packed bookstore. She could feel his eyes on her, full of questions. He didn't talk right away, instead staying quiet as they walked down the alley.

"I guess Ames is the guy that didn't treat you very right?" he asked finally, as she fretted about how to address it.

"Your godfather told you about that, did he?" She asked, staring at him. His eyes were surprisingly sympathetic for a kid.

"He mentioned it," Teddy said quietly. "When you just showed up out of nowhere that day."

"Ah," she said.

"He was a Chaser for the Tornados, wasn't he?"

She nodded. "That's him."

"I never liked them anyways," he said.

She couldn't help but laugh at Ted's simplistic thought process. In front of her, she spotted the ice cream parlor, and was fairly sure Teddy would be game for anything that delayed a robe fitting.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked, waiting for his brown eyes to light up at the sight of Florian Fortescue's ice cream shop.

"Really?" he asked.

"Why not?" she questioned, reaching to open the door for him. If she was going to have to be unpleasantly reminded of Ames and have to deal with the questions Marina left in her wake, Liv was at least allowed a milkshake.

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the support, everyone! I should be getting around to responding to all the reviews/PMs tomorrow. Thanks for your patience in me getting these installments up! One more chapter tomorrow, and then we will be back on pace. Thanks to my beta, potter-reading-coastie for all his help. **


	16. Chapter 16

They stumbled out of the ice cream parlor half an hour later, their stomachs uncomfortably full. The sugar high had just sunk in, and Teddy was wired, but they still had one non-negotiable task to complete before they could go home.

"Are you sure," Teddy asked, dragging out the word until it had about ten syllables, "that I have to get measured today?"

"Hey," she said. "It's not me making you, you're going to have to take up complaints with Harry on this one, bud."

She saw him chewing on his lip, dragging his feet as she tried to steer him towards Madame Malkin's.

"It won't take long," she said, trying her best to sound confident and soothing. "Then, we can get home and have pizza, yeah?"

"Fine," he sighed, in the dramatic way only an almost-teenager could. "Let's get this over with."

Her lips turned upwards in a bemused smile as she opened the door for him. She checked him in with a clerk, and they were told someone would be with them shortly.

Liv's eye was caught by the beautiful dress robes that hung along one wall. Two months ago, those would have stolen her attention. A Quidditch girlfriend had to have a high profile wardrobe, one task she didn't despise. She could easily imagine herself picking up the aubergine colored strapless number that one of the models along the wall wore. Or perhaps the emerald green lace robe that hung at the front of the rack... it would've looked lovely against her pale skin...

"Ron!"

While she had been distracted, Teddy had bounded off to the far side of the room in pursuit of two very familiar people. He had run right up to Weasley and given him a huge hug, much to the dismay of the witch doing his fitting. A lump of anxiety knotted itself in her chest, but she knew she had to follow him.

She tried to look confident, in the sultry, peeved way that used to be so natural to her, but she was pretty sure when she was trying that hard, it just came across as awkward.

"What're you doing here?" She overhead Teddy ask excitedly.

"Someone's dress robes were a bit tight," Hermione said, smiling. "And Charlie's wedding is coming up."

Ron flushed slightly, the top of his ears turning pink. He had gained some weight since he had switched departments, she noticed. The witch helping him had corralled him back onto the fitting platform and begun pinning his robes anew.

"Liv Wellwood," she said, sticking her hand out to shake Hermione's.

She was met with a warm smile. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Liv. I've heard lovely things about you."

Her hand found its way in her pocket and she awkwardly looked down. "Yeah, I'm sure Weasley has a few choice memories of me making an ass of myself in front of the department."

To her surprise, Ron did laugh at that and she felt her anxiety ease slightly. "Where's Harry?"

"Working," Teddy said. "And Nan's in Wales, so they stuck me with Liv."

"Stuck you?" Liv asked, looking shocked at the boy's teasing statement. "Well I think that's the end of our fun, Ted. When you get home we're washing all the floors like Muggles do, no takeaway and games."

He looked shocked for a brief moment, examining her to see if she was serious. But she was unable to keep her face serious, and he could see through the tease. Hell, washing the floors was the last way she wanted to spend her Saturday evening.

Ron and Hermione laughed at him, understanding what was going on. "Might want to watch your words there, Teddy."

Another witch came and started measuring Teddy for his robes, and he kept shooting sad looks at Liv. She just shrugged. "Just cooperate, it'll be over faster."

Hermione, laden with bags from other shopping excursions of the day, readjusted how she was standing as she watched her husband fuss more than the child next to him. Liv could see it when she moved, the way her stomach was swollen beyond the waist of her pants. For a brief moment, it was very clear she was expecting.

Liv turned away, so as not to stare, and when she had looked back, the oversized jumper had obscured things once more.

"I've been trying to make plans with Harry for weeks," she confessed, with a tone that implied Liv would be able to do something about it.

"This case he's been working on..." Liv sighed. "It's running him ragged."

"Well, we would love to have you two over one night this week if he can find time in that tight schedule of his."

She appreciated the invitation, she really did. But she was wary of living up to Hermione and Ron's expectations for Harry's girlfriend, whatever they may be.

Ron had finished getting his robes fit, and wiped a slight sheen off his forehead. "Well, I think that experience has earned me one of Hannah's home cooked meals."

"She's such a great cook," Liv said, going off the first thing he had said that she could agree with. "I'm glad we ran into you, I'll have Harry set a dinner up, yeah?"

Ron's face was neutral, but Hermione smiled and waved as they departed.

"Mathers and Cordova," Harry said, pointing to the two men to his left, who were squabbling over some Quidditch results. "You two take the north west corner of the stretch."

They leaned in, looking towards the map he was holding. His slender finger pointed out the area that he wanted them to patrol over the next few hours. The sun had just set fully behind the curve of earth in the distance, it's last arms of light streaking the sky a dark ochre.

"Got it," Cordova said.

"Halingsaur and Kinley- I want you two out east," he said. When they got to the forest an hour or so earlier, they'd marked the borders with brightly colored ribbons tied to trees.

"And where are you sticking us, boss?" Evanson asked, leaning over to peer at the map. She was referring to herself and Jed Bauer, the newest addition to his team. Harry still did not trust Bauer, and was not quite sure how he had made his way into the department in the first place.

"Bauer, I want you here at base," he said. "And Evanson, you'll come with me south."

She barely hid the scowl that crossed her incredibly expressive face. He wasn't exactly thrilled to be stuck in a twenty foot stretch of land with Holly for the foreseeable future, but a small part of him was intrigued. To see what had brought Holly and Liv together. To see if there was anything- anything, that could possibly lead to a reconciliation between the two.

"Everyone remember the charms?" He asked, looking to each member of his team for confirmation. A sea of dark eyes nodded at him, registering their comprehension.

"Let's move out then," he said, curling the map back up and stowing it in his rucksack.

Evanson had taken the initiative to move out before him, and was ten paces in front of him already. He hustled to close the distance between them.

"Can't keep up?" She asked, the tone of her voice halfway between a taunt and a friendly question. Surely the look on her face would've given a better indication, but he was on the wrong side of her.

"I did partner people for a reason," he said, bounding one step forward and matching her pace. He spent the entire walk south devoted to keeping within a step of her.

Dark had fallen completely by the time they got to their post. The nearly full moon cast a silvery shadow among the branches and bushes around them. He could just barely make out the pink ribbons that marked the southernmost border of their interest. As he allowed his mind to wander, the silky, pink fabric reminded him of the dress that Liv had worn to Finnegan's wedding...

He took a seat on a nearby stump, trying not to notice how rough it was against his legs. She refused to sit, preferring to pace a few yards away, her arms crossed tightly against her chest.

She angrily stomped towards and away from him, her feet crunching down dry leaves and weak branches.

"Evanson," he said, as her pacing began to annoy him. He didn't like pacing. It was wasted energy.

"What's going on between you and Liv?" she asked, accusatory. She had stopped, only a few steps away, and looked down at him.

"What?"

"You," she said slowly. "And Liv."

He was silent for a moment, considering his reply. Not responding did not seem like an option, as the scrappy, persistent blonde stared him down.

"That's a loaded question," he said.

"I've got time," she said, her hand finding its way to her hip.

He swallowed, before finding his voice again. "She's been staying with me since things with Ames went south."

He saw her comprehending the situation, as shock, anger, and sadness distorted her porcelain features.

"I don't think that was her intent," he continued, trying not to lay into her too hard for hurting Liv. "when she showed up on my doorstep after he had assaulted her again. But over the past few weeks, she's become quite comfortable where she is."

As soon as the word had left his mouth, she sunk down to sit on a log near him. As if it was too much effort to stand through hearing about the reality of Liv's life.

"Y'know," he said. "When I first started to get to know her, I really didn't peg her as the type of girl who would put up with that sort of behavior. But I think part of her was so afraid of being abandoned, again, that she clung to anything familiar."

Her eyes flashed in anger towards him- at his unspecified accusation. She opened her mouth to argue, but wordlessly closed it.

For a few minutes, awhile actually, the only sound was the light breeze ruffling the leaves among the trees. He leaned forward on the balls of his feet, feeling the satisfying crunch of a branch beneath him.

"You don't understand the situation I was in-"

"What it's like to have a child?" He asked. "You're right, I don't understand that. But I do understand how to maintain relationships with the people that are important to me under times of extreme stress."

"That's not fair."

He looked to her, waiting for her to go on. He saw her dark eyes shine extra brightly under the light of the moon. She sighed.

"I couldn't..." she started. "I didn't... I mean. No."

He let her sputter away for a moment, as she tried and failed to get any sort of traction in her words.

"I've seen the way she looks at you," she said, her voice tight as she worked to maintain her stony expression.

"Oh?" He asked, feigning disinterest.

"She adores the hell out of you," she said, not looking up to meet his gaze.

"Its mutual," he said quickly. He thought of Liv, who was probably camped out in the living room with Teddy right now. "She's been letting me in, slowly."

"I can't believe he hit her," she said, sighing and shaking her head in disbelief.

He briefly toyed with the idea of giving her more detail of Ames' crimes against Liv, but decided it wasn't his information to divulge. He had said enough, he thought, perhaps too much, as he observed the look of utter shock on Holly's face. The moonlight cast a long shadow across her face as she had to face the reality that she had abandoned her closest friend at a time she needed her the most.

He looked north, in the direction of the rest of their team, just in time to see a large waft of red light streaming up through the trees. Someone had activated the signal for reinforcement.

"Let's go."

He was tired. His body ached, the kind of ache that only came from staying awake all night and getting shoved into the dirt. Harry felt awful glad that was over with.

The large house was quiet, still in the way it could be only when all of its inhabitants were asleep. He dropped his rucksack directly in front of the fireplace, before loosening the laces of his boots.

On the coffee table, there was a game of chess in progress. Next to it, a piece of half eaten pizza. He squinted at it. Surely, Liv would not have left food sitting out overnight?

The downstairs was a mess. The they had ordered for dinner sat on the counter, half eaten. Teddy had spilled some soda on the counter, which had dried into a sticky, brown spot. It certainly seemed like they had enjoyed themselves, but he found himself resentful as he chucked the uneaten food in the bin.

Slowly, he worked his way upstairs, avoiding the creaky spots, so as not to wake anyone up. He quietly eased the door to his bedroom open, expecting to see Liv's slim body and dark hair against the cream-coloured duvet. To his surprise, the bed was empty.

He stripped off his dirty t-shirt, tossing it in the laundry basket. Liv had yet to sleep across the hall, but he wondered if she had done it because Teddy was here. Becoming slightly alarmed, he bounded across the hall to take a peek. The door was shut tightly, and it stuck.

He jerked the knob to the right, and it cracked as it opened. A candle remained lit in the corner of the room, its light bouncing off the walls. In the queen bed, Liv lay in what looked like the least comfortable position, an arm awkwardly around Teddy's body. Teddy's face, even in sleep, was incredibly flushed. Harry could see a few beads of sweat collected on his temples, despite the dim light of the room.

He noticed then, a pile of Teddy's clothes, discarded and making the room smell of sick. A handful of potions from his cabinet were beside the bed. Teddy must have fallen ill. Any resentment he had felt towards Liv melted away, as he knew she had been preoccupied with taking care of Teddy. His body was flooded with immense gratitude towards her.

"Harry?" Liv asked, her voice cracking from sleep. She sat up, blinking at him.

"Shh," he said, nodding towards the sleeping child. He reached out to feel Teddy's forehead, and found it scorched with fever. He selected the right potion from the bedside table, and gently nudged Teddy awake.

"I don't wanna," he said, not even opening his eyes. His face contorted with grief and anger. "Don't make me, Nan. You know how much I hate that rug!"

Liv had gotten to her feet. "He's quite ill, I did my best to keep him comfortable but he's been hallucinating from a fever. What time is it?"

"About five thirty."

"He could use another dose."

Harry nodded, propping Teddy up so he could shove some more of the children's Quik-No-Sick under his tongue. Teddy never fully woke up, but curled back into a ball as Harry leaned him back on the pillows.

Liv had wandered into his bathroom and wash wiping her face with a washcloth when he returned to his bedroom. Her face was incredibly pale, her dark eyes bloodshot. He shut the door behind him.

"He got sick around dinner time," she said, her voice raspy. "Started vomiting like he was possessed. Just... so forceful."

She paced the room, looking preoccupied as she spoke. "After he dry heaved for a bit, his stomach settled down but he began to run a fever and talking about things that made no sense. He sounded so scared. I had no idea what to do so I just started trying potions until he fell asleep."

"I am so sorry," he said. "I had no idea you were going to have to deal with that."

"I knew I couldn't contact you and I didn't know how to contact his Nan and I had no one else to go to, I just brought him up to that bedroom and stayed with him trying to soothe him. I must have fallen asleep an hour or two ago."

The emotion in her voice, the way she held her body, her pale arms crossed around her stomach, upset him. He had asked too much of her. "I hope I didn't let you down."

"Not at all," he said, reaching his arms toward her to encircle her in a hug.

She ducked out of it. "I'm probably covered in germs, you might not want to get too close."

"Oh come here, love," he said, gently rubbing her back with his hand. He felt the tension in her back began to ease. They were silent a moment, as he held her close to him.

"How did it go?" She asked, chewing on the inside of her lip. He could see she was clearly exhausted, but the look on her face said her mind was moving fast.

He nodded. "We got what we needed to close the case. Why don't I make us some tea?"

She followed him down the stairs without saying a word. He hoped a nice warm cup of tea would soothe her and help her get some rest. He had a burst of energy, and knew he would not wind down himself until she was asleep.

**Author's Note: Happy Friday, folks! Leave me a review and let me know what you think **** Regular posting will resume on Monday! Thanks to my beta, potter-reading-coastie. **


	17. Chapter 17

He handed her a steaming porcelain cup, and she gently blew on it. She sat at the kitchen table, legs crossed underneath her, as she opened the tea bag and dunked the ginger tea into the hot water.

"How did things go before he got sick?" Harry asked, sitting across from her.

"Everything was fine," she said, blowing the billows of steam away from her cup. "Went to Diagon Alley, did everything we needed to do- his books are preordered and his robes will be ready Thursday. We got ourselves some ice cream too, for good measure."

"Great," he said. "I appreciate you minding him more than you know."

She just shrugged. Yesterday had been nice until Teddy got sick. It was the very least she could do for Harry after all he had done for her.

"We ran into Ron and Hermione at Madame Malkin's," she said between sips of tea. She had hoped the ginger would soothe her stomach, but instead it just seemed to cause it to churn more.

"Oh?" He asked. Behind him, the clock chimed six times.

"Hermione's very kind," she said. "Mentioned you've been dodging her attempts to make plans."

"We've been busy," he explained. She raised an eyebrow at him, pressing him for the real reason. "And I didn't want to overwhelm you while you were settling in here... I wasn't ready to share you."

Despite the exhaustion and upset stomach, she smiled. It somehow seemed less daunting to meet his friends now that things between them were starting to fall into place. "Well, perhaps we can have them around for dinner this week."

He smiled at her. "I'd like that."

The exhaustion was starting to give way to sleepiness. Her eyelids grew heavy as light streamed in the window, washing the kitchen in pale light.

"Why don't we get you up to bed?"

She placed their tea cups in the sink before following him upstairs. "How are you not exhausted?"

"Still coming down from the adrenaline," he said, and she nodded. She should've known, she thought, as she climbed under the covers of his bed. He closed the curtains for her as she got comfortable.

She patted his side of the bed, wanting him to join her. "I'm going to shower first," he said, pressing a kiss onto her forehead. "I'll join you soon."

She slept fitfully, tossing and turning. At some point, she was so warm that she had sleepily kicked the covers off. When she woke up, she was drenched in sweat that made the thin sheet cling to her skin. She peeled it off, enjoying the fresh air against her damp skin.

The other side of the bed was empty, and she briefly wondered where Harry had gone. A quick glance at the clock told her it was early afternoon. He had probably taken Teddy home.

She slowly got up, her bones aching and resisting the movement. She found herself hunched over the sink in the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face. It must have just been warm in the house, she couldn't possibly have caught whatever Teddy had. She soaked a washcloth in the sink, before wringing it out and hanging it around her neck. Using her fingers, she managed to get her dark hair piled into a bun at the top of her head, cooling her off immensely.

She changed, grabbing a clean t-shirt out of her pile of folded laundry, and tiptoed down the stairs, in case Harry was asleep downstairs. As she descended, she heard the radio on, the sounds of a Quidditch game filling the air. Harry was somehow wide awake, doing what Liv quickly recognized as all the paperwork that followed last night's stake out.

"Hey, you," he said, moving a stack of paperwork off the couch so she could sit next to him. She grabbed a blanket off the arm of the couch and wrapped it around herself before settling in next to him. She had gone from sweaty to clammy, as it seemed the first floor was always a bit cool. "Sleep well?"

She nodded, covering her mouth as she yawned. "How's Teddy?"

Harry sighed, closing the file he had been furiously scribbling in. "He woke up as if he'd never been sick."

"Wow," she said, admiring the resiliency of youth. Her head, which felt especially heavy, was drawn to rest on Harry's shoulder. He placed his arm around her, gently rubbing her back.

"Yeah, lucky kid," Harry remarked. He quickly glanced down at his wrist, checking the time. "Andromeda was here about two hours ago to get him. I've just been trying to get some things taken care of before we're back to work tomorrow."

She picked up a piece of parchment he had placed to the side, skimming what it said about his work. She knew she would get the full report in the morning, but her curiosity was piqued. "Did you get any sleep?"

He shrugged, before getting up from the couch. "A bit, but I'm going to crash soon I'm sure. Was thinking about ordering some Chinese food, you interested?"

"Sure," she said, standing up to stretch. No matter what, she couldn't seem to get rid of the deep ache plaguing her muscles. It was probably attributed to sleeping poorly and sharing a bed with a very sick thirteen year old. Somehow, Teddy had managed to take up most of the bed, leaving her with just a sliver of the mattress. That had to be the reason her back felt so stiff.

Harry listed options off of the menu of his favorite Chinese food place, and Liv vetoed what she didn't like. While Harry called and placed the order, Liv ran upstairs to change. She traded her pajamas for a pair of workout pants and a tank, and put her trainers on. Maybe a good walk would loosen her up. The fresh air certainly couldn't hurt… she was already a little concerned about catching whatever bug Teddy had been struck by. Unfortunately, the London air was thick and oppressive against her skin, causing sweat to bead up again. Luckily, the walk to the Chinese place wasn't too far.

"You want utensils?" the clerk asked, after she paid for the greasy brown paper bag full of food. Before Liv could respond, the middle aged Chinese woman stuffed a handful of plastic forks and knives into the top of the bag. She hoisted it into Liv's hands, as she couldn't help but smile at the fact the woman thought they had ordered enough food for a party. Perhaps they had gone a bit overboard…

The bag, full of steaming hot food, was so heavy it required her to carry it with both hands. The smell of pork fried rice and lo mein had her stomach grumbling by the time she climbed the stairs into the house. She expected to see Harry in his spot on the couch, and was a bit thrown off when he was nowhere to be found.

"Harry?" she called, up the stairs. "I'm back with dinner."

"I'll be right down," he called, his voice sounding a bit tense.

"Who's down there?" Liv heard an unfamiliar woman's voice ask.

Her stomach flipped. She'd been gone twenty minutes, who could possibly be here? Who could possibly be upstairs? It didn't sound like Hermione's voice, and Hermione would've known to expect Liv around the house. She was frozen in her spot, at the bottom of the stairs, the bag of food beginning to slip in her hands. Before she could shake things off, she heard two sets of footsteps pattering down the steps, and quickly went into the kitchen. She grabbed plates from the cupboard, but kept her ear tuned to see who was here.

"It's just a friend—"

"The friend Hermione told me about?"

A loud sigh. "Probably—"

"Can I meet her?" an eager voice pleaded.

"Ginny, can we please—"

His ex-wife. Liv's stiff muscles turned to ice. This sensation must have been what rigor mortis felt like. She was unsure why she felt threatened and uneasy with Ginny in the house, when Harry had given no indication there was even any shadow of a relationship there. Liv felt her hands grow sweaty as she unboxed the white cartons brimming with food.

She was slightly reassured by the tense tone of voice he used with her. She could nearly picture his jaw tight, arms crossed, a stance she had not seen from him in their private lives.

"Oh, come on, don't be like that—"

"What are you here for?" he asked. Liv could tell now that they were standing in the landing half a floor up. Ginny must have been well aware that Liv could hear every word they were saying, but Liv had no idea what to do. Go to the stairs and introduce herself? Stay where she was? Pretend she didn't hear anything?

"Mum sent me," Ginny said slowly. "She still hasn't received your RSVP to Charlie's wedding, and it was due last week."

Liv's mind went to work, trying to put things together. When she had seen Ron and Hermione yesterday, they'd spoken of Charlie's wedding too. She placed a large scoop of rice onto a plate, keeping her hands busy.

"Ah, yeah…" Harry trailed off, before his ex wife cut him off once more.

"Now, of course we know you and Teddy are coming," the way she phrased it didn't make it sound optional. "And normally, we wouldn't question it, but it seems you've got a new bird in your life and of course, Mum would like to extend an invitation to her as well."

It was slightly aggressive, and in an indiscernible tone, but a lot of the fear and anxiety in Liv's stomach dissipated.

"I…" Harry trailed off. "I'll speak with her and be in touch with Molly, then. Thank you."

"Nonsense, if she's just downstairs, I'll extend the invitation myself—"

"Ginny—"

Before he could catch up to her, the spritely red-head bounded into the kitchen. Liv looked up at her, the feeling of ice filling her belly once more. She was shorter than Liv had expected, but she still managed to intimidate her. Harry was only a few steps behind her, the tops of his ears tinged red with embarrassment at letting his ex-wife push him around like that.

"Hi th-there," Liv said, cursing herself for stuttering. Out of embarrassment. Had she known they were going to be ambushed by Ginny, she probably would have worn clean trainers or a less ratty tank top or actually brushed her hair. Instead, she was flushed, and disheveled, and felt like she was taking up too much space, though there wasn't much she could do about that.

"Aren't you going to introduce us, Harry?" Ginny asked, prodding at Harry. Seeing them next to each other, despite the frustration evident on Harry's face, made the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"I— sure. Ginny, this is Liv," Harry said. Liv briefly caught Harry's eye, and he looked apologetic. Liv willed her hand to stop trembling for long enough to give Ginny a strong handshake.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Liv," Ginny said, eyeing her up and down.

"Likewise," Liv said, though it sounded more like a question than a statement. "Will you be staying for dinner?"

Before she could truly comprehend the statement, it was out of her mouth. But she couldn't be petty and rude, especially when Ginny had given her no explicit reason to be petty and rude.

"No," Harry said, rather forcefully. "She'll be leaving."

Ginny scowled at Harry, but playfully, in a gesture that made Liv feel awkward to have witnessed it. "Thank you for the invitation, but I can see my ex-husband does not want me here."

Liv had truly nothing to say to Ginny, and the moment passed with a heavy silence before she continued. "Do you have plans the Saturday after next?"

"I... I would have to look at a calendar," Liv said, glancing between Ginny and Harry. She couldn't discern from the look on Harry's face what he wanted her to do. If he didn't want to take her as a date, well, she didn't want to insert herself. Liv wasn't particularly enthusiastic about spending an evening with Harry's ex-wife's extended family. "But, I'm free, probably. Why?"

"Wonderful. And you've got a nice pair of dress robes?" Ginny asked, eyeing her up once again. "Well, you ran in the Quidditch circles, I'm sure you have a suitable outfit."

"Why?" Liv asked again, slower.

"My brother's getting married, big affair. Open bar- my family knows how to throw a party, have him tell you about our wedding sometime," she said, touching Liv's arm as if they were friends. She recoiled immediately, crossing her arms over her chest. A brief glance at Harry reassured her, as his brow furrowed in disdain.

"Anyways... Harry got a plus one. I'm glad he'll finally be able to use it. I'll make sure Mum knows you're bringing someone, Harry."

"Great," he said, sounding extra unimpressed. "But I think it's dinner time, Ginny, why don't I escort you to the Floo?"

"Fine," she huffed. "Lovely to meet you, Liv, I'll see you at the wedding."

"Take care," Liv said, without looking up. Harry strong-armed her towards the fireplace, giving her no option. Liv busied herself, piling a heap of chicken lo mein onto her plate and sitting down at the table to eat.

"I'm so sorry, Liv," Harry said as he rejoined her in the kitchen. "I had no idea she was going to stop over."

"Don't worry about it," she said quickly, between shoveling bites of noodles in her mouth.

He made himself a plate of food, and sat across from her. He didn't say anything, which left her with just a little too much silence for her comfort. Was he upset that she agreed to go to the wedding? Was he embarrassed of her? Did he not want his former in-laws to see who he was dating? Was it because she had a rocky history with him and Ron? Did he not like her enough to take her out in public, as a date? Was it just too soon? Was she not pretty enough?

It had been years since he and Ginny split up, and she had moved on. Why couldn't he? If he didn't want to take Liv as a date somewhere, should she even be living with him? Maybe she should have done the hard thing and moved right into her own place. Her stomach tightened at the thoughts she was allowing herself to think.

She let her thoughts torment her, to the sound of Harry's fork scraping his plate. The thoughts bubbled up within her, until she could hardly stand not saying anything.

"I don't have to go to the wedding with you," she said, the words coming out quickly. "If you'd rather go by yourself, I won't be mad."

"No, Liv-" he sighed. "That's not it at all. I just..."

She put her hand on her chest as it tightened and seized. Out of nowhere, she found herself diving towards the trash can to vomit.

"Oh, dear," Harry said, getting out of her way.

She heaved into the bin, the muscles in her stomach protesting against the sudden and violent reaction. It seemed, after all, she was not going to escape Teddy's illness.

When her stomach quelled, she felt her cheeks burning in embarrassment at having thrown up in front of Harry.

"I... need to go upstairs," she said, bounding towards the third floor without a backwards glance. By the time she got there, she knew her stomach was going to betray her once more so she locked herself in the hallway bathroom. Although it was not nearly as nice as the bathroom en suite to Harry's room, it would do. She locked the door behind her as she prepared to empty her stomach once more.

Between vomiting spells, she lay against the tile floor, letting the chilly porcelain take the edge of heat off her. There was violence in her stomach where there previously had been ice. The spicy food she had eaten burned her throat as she heaved until there felt like there was nothing left to throw up. She flushed the toilet and leaned her back against the cool porcelain tub.

Harry knocked quietly on the door. "Can I come in?"

Liv didn't want to see him right now. Her face was bright red, she was covered in sweat.

"I'm fine," she called, her voice hoarse.

"Please?" He asked. "I've got medicine, it'll make you feel better."

She considered it for a second, before leaning up and unlocking the door. He resisted the urge to take in what a mess she was, and instead set up the vials of medicine on the sink.

He grabbed a washcloth and doused it in cold water before handing it to her. She immediately used it to cover her face, hoping it would soothe the irritation. Her eyes welled with tears under the cover of the cloth.

"Take this," Harry said, squatting in front of her and placing a small glass dropper in her hand. "It will settle your stomach."

She took a deep breath, the air searing against her acid irritated throat, and lifted the cloth off her face, moving it to the back of her neck instead. She squeezed the dropper full of medicine under her tongue, wincing at the bitter taste. Once she swallowed it, Harry replaced the dropper and sat down next to her.

She closed her eyes, resting her head against the porcelain tub. He reached out to grab her hand, using his thumb to soothingly rub circles into her palm. She tried to focus on taking deep breaths, as the medicine started to work. She no longer felt quite as queasy.

"Did that help?" Harry asked after some time had passed.

"I think so," she said. "My stomach feels a little better."

"Good," he said, quietly. "Why don't we get you into bed? Do you think you can get there okay?"

She took his hand getting help up, and he helped her into bed. There, he crafted a cocktail of potions that he promised would aide all her troubles. He opened one of the windows, letting the fresh air and sound of rain drift in.

"You should feel much better once this kicks in," he said, lightly brushing her hair off her face.

Liv didn't get sick often, but she had never felt so taken care of. She didn't quite know how to feel... but she didn't hate it.

Her eyelids grew heavy, and she couldn't keep them open any longer. As she briefly fought sleep, she could hear Harry dim the lights so she could drift off peacefully.

**Author's Note: Here's Monday's chapter! Chapter posting times may be a little off from the usual over the next week or so, as I'm travelling, but chapters **_**will**_** be posted on the day they're supposed to be. Evergreen thanks to potter-reading-coastie, my excellent Beta. Reviews appreciated!**


	18. Chapter 18

When she woke up, the rain had slowed to a slow drizzle that she could hear bouncing off the roof. Her stomach was starting to turn again, but there was nothing in it.

She opened her eyes slowly, blinking into the dark. She could see the shadow cast by the street lights outside along the wall. It felt really late, but it was too dark to see what time the clock said. She shifted to try and get comfortable again.

"You awake?" Harry whispered, placing his hand gingerly on her shoulder. "Liv?"

"Yes," she said, turning over to face him. He put his hand to her forehead, checking her for a fever.

"_Lumos_," he said, reaching for his wand. She briefly saw the small glass bottles lined up on his side of the bed as he fumbled to redose her.

"What time is it?" She asked, after swallowing the medicine.

"Five thirty," he said.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. She really didn't feel well, she thought, as she wiped at the sweat collecting on her forehead. Work was going to be tough today.

"I wrote Rutherford last night and let him know you won't be in," Harry said.

She sighed angrily, unhappy that he had done that without her signing off on it. "I need to be at work. We have to debrief on the Dodger case, plus it's Monday and I have loads to do. If I don't go to work, the entire Research department's productivity is going to be behind for the week."

"You're quite ill, Liv," he said, gently. "You need your rest, or you're going to be down for the count all week."

She knew he was right. "Are you going to go to work? I need to know what happens at the debriefing so I can allocate my resources for the rest of the week."

"I'm going to work from home so I can keep an eye on you," he said. "But I'll go in this afternoon for the debriefing, and give you a full report when I get home. Okay?"

She nodded, as whatever potions he had given her began to kick in. She found herself getting comfortable before drifting off once more.

The morning came, bringing light and a dense, humid heat with it. Her fever surged higher, though her eyes were never open for more than a few minutes. Her skin felt like there were bugs crawling on it, as she fitfully, feverishly maneuvered in and out of consciousness.

Harry spent his morning working from the bedroom, redosing her whenever possible. Her fever was high, but he knew they had to ride it out. Once it broke, she would feel much better. She tossed and turned, throwing the quilt off herself only to burrow under it once more a few minutes later.

An owl tapped at the window next to the bed, and he lunged for it, not wanting it to disturb Liv's sleep. He wasn't expecting mail, but immediately recognized Hermione's stationary. Curious, he sat back down and unfurled the letter.

_Dearest Harry-_

_I hope your latest mission went well. It feels like it's been ages since we've seen you and I hope all is well at home, truly. _

_We were lucky enough to run into Liv and Teddy in Diagon Alley over the weekend. She's just as you described, charming and thoughtful and kind. I see why you are so drawn to her, and her relationship with Teddy was darling to experience. I think seeing how much that boy adores her has begun the process of endearing Liv to my stubborn husband. _

_We were in Diagon Alley getting Ron a suit for Charlie's upcoming wedding… I'd been hoping to talk to you in person about this, but you seem to be dodging us and it's now only a few weeks away. Can you believe it? I know you'll be there, but I'm wondering (and hoping) you'll bring Liv. I know Ginny will be amiable, and the general consensus of the family is that they're happy you're happy. Really. I think seeing her interactions with Teddy may particularly endear her to them, if that's something you'll admit to caring about. _

_Can we please make plans? For dinners, drinks, … anything? I really want to get to know this woman, who makes you so very happy, and I'm going to start bypassing you if I can't get you to cooperate._

_All my love,_

_Hermione _

He sighed, knowing he had been avoiding them. He placed the letter to the side, making a mental note to respond to it when he got back from his meeting.

A few feet away, Liv whimpered and twitched, signs of tense dreams. Normally she was quiet and still next to him, but not today. Whatever illness had hit Teddy then Liv didn't seem to be kidding around. It hit them hard.

He packed all this work things up and got dressed. He knew he had to be at the debriefing- he had led the Aurors in the field, it was his responsibility. But it was hard to leave her for the second time in a few days.

Before he left, he topped her up on Quik-No-Sick, opening her mouth and pouring a dropper's worth in. Her cheeks were flushed, the small hairs along her hairline damp with sweat.

Her eyes opened briefly, and focused on his face. "Thank you for taking care of me, Harry."

"You're welcome," he said, pressing a kiss into the top of her head.

She woke up, not covered in sweat for the first time in what felt like days. The humidity had broken as a thunderstorm rolled in.

She rolled over to check the clock and saw it was nearly five in the afternoon. She felt like she'd slept forever. She stretched, before setting her feet on the ground. Her body was still achey, but her stomach felt settled and her fever seemed broken. Maybe she had turned a corner.

She wondered where Harry was, and guessed he had been detained at work, so she hopped in the shower while she waited for him to return.

He came through the Floo, hours after he had planned. He'd gone into work for the debriefing and somehow been pulled in different directions for a few hours before feeling confident enough to leave.

He'd sat through the meeting, had to meet with Rutherford, meet with his own direct reports, and even swung by Liv's office to bring her the files awaiting her review. He knew that would please her. When he'd met with Evanson, briefly, she'd seemed very sheepish and apologetic. It felt good. He could only hope that she would offer Liv the apology she deserved.

He shed his boots, then his jacket. He untucked his dress shirt and began unbuttoning it as he walked up the stairs. He could hear the shower running in his bathroom upstairs, and walked a little faster. He had expected Liv to still be asleep. He would have rushed home faster if he knew she was awake.

As he opened the door to his bedroom, she was exiting the bathroom, wrapped in only a towel. Her dark hair was tied back in a braid, her damp fringe sticking out at odd angles over her forehead. There was a certain clarity in her eyes that had been missing for the last day or so.

Her face lit up when she saw him. "Welcome home. How did it go?"

"I'm sorry it took me so long," he said, tossing his work clothing in the hamper. "I have all your reports and files downstairs. How are you feeling?"

"I think my fever has broken," she said. She stepped towards him, offering her forehead for his judgement. He smoothed her fringe out of her face before placing the back of his hand against her forehead. It was slightly warm, but far cooler than the scorching fevers she had endured over the last day.

"I'd say so," he murmured, a small smile lighting up his face.

"I think I could probably eat something."

"Of course," he exclaimed. "Why don't I go get something together for dinner and we can go over what happened in the office?"

She nodded. "I'll be right down."

When she made it downstairs about ten minutes later, there were two bowls of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches waiting. Harry had brought her everything that was on her desk for her to go through and had a complete transcript of the debriefing for her to read.

He had really gone above and beyond to make it easy for her to rest and get better while still being able to do as much work as possible. As she ate, she looked at him and her chest swelled with gratitude. She was lucky to have him. Their relationship was still new, tentative— but it felt like something Liv didn't know she was missing.

They were both quiet as they poured over their work. Liv sorted through her incoming cases, figuring out who to assign where. Luckily, Monday had a light load of intakes, leaving the department in decent shape despite her absence.

"What do you think," she asked, between bites. "Can I go back to work tomorrow?"

"You feel up to it?" he asked, blowing the steam off a spoonful of hot soup.

She considered it for a moment, before nodding. "I think so. I'd really like to get the ball rolling on this new case with Spencer."

"Interesting, right?" he asked, picking up his own copy of the file. "This is one of the weirdest cases I've read in awhile."

"Rutherford's asked me to take a look at it before handing it off," she mentioned.

"I'm sure you'll find sense in it, where the rest of us only see chaos."

She blushed, feeling proud that he thought so highly of her. She felt good. As the physical symptoms of her illness faded, she was gaining a whole new sense of clarity. However, one thing remained to bother her: Ginny's visit. While she wanted to shove it aside, it felt impossible. It was a heavy weight resting on her sense of peace.

"So…" Liv began, chasing the last bite of soup with her spoon.

"Hm?" Harry asked, looking up at her over his glasses.

"If you don't want me to go to that wedding with you, I really won't be upset." She tried to keep her voice level, like she was completely confident in what she was saying.

He sighed, and slipped his glasses off his nose before rubbing his forehead. "That's really not what I meant for you to take away from that encounter."

"It's okay," she said, though her voice wavered. "Look, I know that it's got to be awkward, bringing a new …friend around your ex-wife's family—"

"You're not just my friend, Liv—"

"And I want to be sensitive about—"

"Liv, please," he asked, cutting her off before she vocalized her insecurities any further. "I am upset with Ginny for a few reasons, but I wasn't upset that she invited you."

"Oh?" She asked, idly scratching her dry quill against paper.

"The first reason being that she showed up without notice, and I'm sure it was a bit of a shock to you to come home and have my ex here in the space we share. I want this place to feel safe to you, and I hope it still does—"

"Of course," she breathed. "I mean, who else can get through your wards?"

"Ron and Hermione," he said. "Andromeda has some privileges. I'll teach them to Teddy when he's older."

"None of those people would make me feel unsafe here," Liv said, quietly. "But your concern... means a lot to me."

"And I'm upset because I wanted the opportunity to talk about the wedding with you," he explained. "We've been so busy with work lately, and I've rather enjoyed keeping you to myself... and I wanted to start sharing you when you were ready. I don't want to force you into anything."

"You're not," she assured him.

"And I kind of figured we would spend time with Ron and Hermione before I introduced you to everyone."

"Well, maybe you can write them and see if they're free next weekend."

"I know you probably think it's a bit odd," he said. "To still be close to my ex wife's family-"

"Family isn't always blood," she reminded him. "I understand."

She reached out for his hand, grasping it. He squeezed back.

"You want to go?" he asked, somewhat skeptically.

She nodded. "If you'd like to take me, I'd be delighted to go with you."

A genuine smile turned the corners of his lips up. "Sounds like a date then."

Her Tuesday morning had been absolutely nuts. What she had missed Monday was added onto her normal daily tasks, and she spent the first hours of the day trying to squeeze multiple days work out of a single day's time.

She'd just dismissed the interns from a meeting when there was a knock at her door. She took off her reading glasses and called for them to come in.

"Got a sec?" Harry asked, looking rather eager. He carried a brown bag in his hands.

"Come in," she said. "Shut the door behind you."

He quietly closed the door, before taking a seat in one of the chairs opposite her desk.

"I've only got a few," she explained, finishing the cup of lukewarm coffee in front of her.

He ripped open the paper bag, which she recognized as coming from the cafeteria, to hand her a yogurt parfait and a piece of banana bread. "Here, I had to go upstairs to interview someone and grabbed you some food while I was up there. I'm sure your day's been barmy."

"Oh, you're the best," she said quickly, grabbing for the yogurt. She hadn't realized just how hungry she was until the food had been set before her. "Have I mentioned how lovely you are, lately?"

He smiled. "I spoke with Ron this morning, too."

"Are they free this weekend?" she asked, after swallowing one of the strawberries that was lodged among the parfait. She'd had a few cups of coffee— two, maybe three, she'd lost track. She was so caffeinated she was practically reverberating.

"Yeah, on Saturday," he said. "Ron wants to go flying, so I'll probably do that in the afternoon with him, then we'll all get together to have dinner. Is that okay?"

"Oh, yeah," she said. "Yeah, absolutely. I know you haven't flown in… weeks…"

"You're welcome to come with-"

She couldn't help but laugh, and he chuckled as well, the corners of his eyes crinkling in happiness.

"Yeah, I didn't think so," he admitted. "But you're welcome to, if you change your mind."

"Thanks," she said. "Is Teddy coming over this weekend?"

"Yeah, he's sleeping over Friday," he explained. "But Andromeda is taking him… somewhere, I can't remember, so she'll pick him up early Saturday."

"Sounds like a nice weekend," she said. She felt a small flare of anxiety about spending more than five minutes with Ron and Hermione, but it was only out of desire to have them like her.

There was a knock on the door, and Liv caught Harry's eye. He knew she had to get back to doing her job; that was, after all, why he'd gone out of his way to bring her lunch. Whoever it was knocked again. "Come in!"

The door opened, and Holly was standing there expectantly. Harry glanced back at Liv quickly, to see a sort of panicked look cross her face. "I'll follow up with you about that later, Wellwood."

"Thanks, Potter," she said, to make it seem as if their meeting had been on official business.

As Harry left, Holly shut the door herself. "You two don't need to keep up pretenses around me."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." Liv swallowed, unsure precisely what Holly wanted from her, but having a slight stomach ache over her presence. "How can I help you, Holly? I've got a lot on my plate today and don't have much time."

"I don't want to not talk anymore," Holly said, the words falling out of her mouth quickly as she took a seat.

"Okay, I _definitely_ don't have time for this today—"

"For fuck's sake, Liv, I know I did wrong by you but could you give me five minutes of your time?"

"Not today," she said. "Please, I've got work to do, I have a meeting in twenty minutes—"

"Fine," Holly said, standing up. "Y'know what, I was an absolute arse. I was. I was a horrible friend to you. But not giving me the time of day to apologize is a little cruel on your part, don't you think? Especially when you clearly had time for your boyfriend—"

"Shut up," Liv hissed, her anxiety being replaced with anger. "Don't say that here. And I'm not saying we can't discuss this, I'm just saying not right now, because I've got a huge stack of files to work through and three important meetings this afternoon and I don't have time for this right now."

"Well, tell me when you'll have time, then."

"I don't know, maybe later this week," Liv said, feeling her voice get louder in frustration.

"Then I'll try again on Thursday," Holly said, getting up and leaving her office.

Liv picked up her wand, flicking it towards the open door.

**Author's Note: Thanks to all who have reviewed the last few chapters! Your encouragement means the world to me, and I'm also super grateful for those wishing me safe travels. I hope you're all having a lovely week, and will return on Friday for the next installment in Liv's story. Evergreen thanks to my beta, potter-reading-coastie for all his assistance with this story. **


	19. Chapter 19

She left the meeting with Rutherford, fully informed on the current status of the case he was calling the Bringer case. It needed her attention, and it couldn't wait. For a moment, she stood outside Rutherford's office, taking in the current state of the department from her vantage point. She saw the light still on in her office, the door open. Anne was hard at work, paired with Houston on getting files updated.

She glanced towards the opposite corner of the room, where Harry's office was. He was in the office, though it looked like he was alone. He didn't usually leave his door open if he was meeting with someone, though she couldn't see perfectly through the blinds he had hanging up.

She glanced towards where the Aurors under him sat, with Holly's back towards her. She looked pretty absorbed into what she was doing. Not wanting to alert Holly to her presence, or availability, Liv quietly walked towards Harry's office. She didn't bother knocking before stepping in and closing the door behind her. She paused, considering the lock, before pressing it in.

"Trying to ambush me?" he asked, a rather bemused look on his face. He shut the office's blinds and sat back, stretching his arms from where he'd been hunched over a desk. He smiled at her, and she considered her desire to kiss him.

But she remained professional, and leaned against the side of his desk instead. "I'm hiding from Holly."

"Ah," he said. "What's going on?"

"Rutherford needs me in the field this afternoon," she said. "Last minute thing with this Bringer case. I may be home late, I just wanted to let you know."

He reached out and grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers between his. "Okay. I've got things pretty under control, I don't see why I won't be home on time to intercept Ted. We'll be waiting for you."

His hand in hers distracted her. His touch was… hard to ignore. She still longed for him in a physical way, but hadn't been able to act upon it yet. Now, knowing his door was locked, and the blinds were shut, it was so tempting to lean into his embrace and snog him…

"You alright?" he asked, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. His finger was cool against her blushing cheek, imagining the heft of his arms around her. "You look a bit distracted."

"I'm fine," she said, standing up. Removing herself from the embrace made it easier to clear her head. "I'll see you at home."

"Good luck."

She tried to leave his office as quietly as she'd entered, but had attracted a particularly unwanted shadow on her way back to her office to grab her jacket.

"Y'know, boss," Holly said. "It's starting to look real suspicious the amount of times you're in a closed office with him."

"I do not have time for this," Liv said, gathering up her work bag. "Don't you have work to do?"

"Maybe Rutherford would be interested to know what's going on…"

Liv turned on her, quickly. "Are you threatening me?"

The confident look on Holly's face wavered, as if she internally registered that she had gone too far. "I—"

"No, you know what? It's fine," Liv said, "Do whatever you feel like doing, Holly. Truly. But I'm being genuine in not having the time to have this conversation. I have to get to work."

And she was off, and headed out of the department. She needed to be across London, looking into things. But first, she needed a cigarette.

In the peripherals of his vision, he saw Liv leave the department in what he could only describe as a frenzy. When she'd left his side, only a few minutes before, she'd seemed fine. He didn't like this.

He pushed back from his desk, standing up to see what was going on in the department. He leaned against his doorway, crossing his arms over his chest.

In Liv's wake, Holly was walking back to her desk from the direction of Liv's office. He had no doubt she was the cause of this.

Evanson looked up, her clear eyes meeting his. A look crossed her faces like she knew he'd seen her upsetting Liv. She moved her glance down, looking sheepish instead of inflamed.

"A word, Evanson?" He asked, when she had to walk past him to get to her seat

She did not look pleased. "I'm quite busy, actually-"

"Then you best get to work," he said, sternly. "I expect a report on what you've done before you leave for the day."

Liv was tired and her feet hurt when she turned on to Grimmauld Place. The sun was starting to hide behind the trees, night was coming. She had been working so close to home that there was no reason to travel any other way.

She imagined Harry and Teddy were probably enjoying a pizza and a Muggle movie after this long week, but as she came through the wards, the house was quiet.

"Harry?" She called up the staircase, slightly confused. He should have been home over an hour ago, and it seemed unlikely he would be anywhere but home.

"Liv?" A small voice asked from upstairs.

"Teddy?"

He bound down the stairs. "I thought you forgot about me!"

He crashed into her, wrapping his arms around her waist in a tight hug. She noticed his normally sandy hair was a dark, inky blue, and could only imagine it was unbridled sadness. His hug erased all the hardships of her day, but he seemed quite upset.

"Where's your godfather?" She asked, growing concerned. "How long have you been alone?"

He looked up and had tears in his unusually blue eyes, and she didn't blame him. He furiously tried to pretend it didn't happen, but she's seen it, and hugged him tighter. "Oh, Teddy. I'm so, so sorry. Let's go in the living room."

"Nan said she spoke to Harry this afternoon and he was planning to be home on time but she was running early so then neither of you were, but she left me because she had to get to her friend Dresden's place and we figured that at least one of you would be home soon but then-"

"Take a breath, Ted," she nudged him, smoothing his hair. All the words just fell out of his mouth at once, it was a challenge for her to keep up.

"But then," he said, a slight bit slower. "Neither of you showed up and I figured maybe Harry forgot I was coming-"

"Oh, darling," she murmured. She felt so awful. This poor, scared little boy. Normally she was impressed by how mature Teddy was, but today he looked so little to her. And something about him thinking he was forgotten spoke to the darker spots of her own childhood. When she'd decided to stay at Harry's, she had agreed to take a role, however small, in the upbringing of Teddy. He would not feel abandoned on her watch.

"We're going to order takeaway," she said, in the most soothing voice she could muster. "Anything you want. And maybe look into where your godfather is, yeah? This has all been a misunderstanding, Teddy. It won't happen again, I promise you I will make sure of that."

She went into the kitchen, grabbing the folder of takeaway menus Harry kept in a drawer. Her mind raced- what could possibly have happened for Harry to be running so late?

"Here, figure out what you'd like," she said, passing the folder off to Teddy. "I'm just going to run upstairs, I'll be back down in a moment."

Teddy nodded, and she bounded upstairs. She shed her stiff shoes, and once she was in their bedroom, traded her trousers for a pair of pajama bottoms. She threw her hair up, because it kept sticking to the back of her neck.

Her eyes scanned the room for a letter, because it simply didn't make sense that Harry would neglect to come home without letting her know. If he'd been caught up at work, she really thought he'd have written her. It made her antsy.

She needed a distraction, for both Teddy's and her sake. She glanced at the quilt, discarded from the bed she shared with Harry. He hadn't bothered making the bed this morning, but that piece was usually the first to go in the summer heat. She picked it up.

Then, she dashed across the hallway into "her" room, and opened the wardrobe. A blanket fort and a little astronomy show would suffice. She grabbed one of the few tangible items she had from her childhood. She considered, for only a brief moment, sticking her head out the window to smoke a quick one. But she reminded herself that Teddy needed her more than she needed a cigarette.

Teddy was exactly where she left him, still visibly upset. "What's all this?"

"You'll see," she said. "Did you decide what you wanted?"

He handed her the menu for the closest Thai place, and she went and placed their order. Liv ordered a bunch of food, so Teddy didn't have to choose between his favorites, and they would have plenty of leftovers for when Harry showed up.

"We," Liv announced. "Are going to make a fort."

"What?" Teddy asked.

"Yeah, c'mon. Get up and help me." She had him help her push the armchairs into better spots so she could string the quilt between them. She threw all the pillows in underneath the canopy, satisfied as she watched his hair lighten up to its normal color.

"Go get the food, will you?" She asked Teddy, handing him a wad of Muggle money. She was sure the delivery boy was wandering the block aimlessly.

While he was gone, she turned on the projector, and saw the stars come into focus. This was the perfect distraction.

"Liv, you got so much food!" Teddy exclaimed, at which point she realized she might have gone overboard. She spread everything out on the dining room table so they could make plates for themselves. He was starting to let his guard down, to put what happened this evening behind him; she could see it all over his face. But Harry's absence was still felt.

She crawled, like a child, under the blanket, and got comfortable. She used a few pillows to prop herself up, but was at an angle where she could still see the stars. He was hesitant behind her, but eventually had settled in next to her. He was quietly devouring his huge plate of Pad Thai, while his dark eyes were fixated on the swirling constellations over his head.

"This is really cool, Liv."

"Thanks," she said. "When I was little, I used to love watching this. It's kind of nostalgic."

For a few minutes, the only sounds were of their forks against the plates, shoveling noodles and rice and shrimp into their mouths. She didn't realize how hungry she had been.

"Are you excited for the wedding next weekend?" Liv asked.

"You're coming with us?" he asked, a little perked up. He was trending in the right direction.

"Of course," she said, trying not to let him know that she was easily rustled.

"Is it going to be a little weird?" He asked, incredibly innocently. "Being around Ginny, and stuff?"

"It might be," Liv admitted. "But the Weasley family has been very good to Harry, and I care about him a lot, so I think the risk of weirdness is worth taking."

Teddy nodded, mulling over what she said. "Family isn't always blood."

"Exactly," she said. "I knew you'd know what I was talking about."

He smiled out of pride, and that had been her intent. The Floo rattled, and she sat straight up in time to watch Harry tumble through.

His afternoon had been entirely derailed by an emergency Wizengamot trial that Rutherford had insisted he sit in on. Artemis Junger-Pex's trial had been pushed up and he needed to be there.

He had watched the second hand on his watch speed past five o'clock, and worried about Teddy. Liv had been prepared for Harry to be home on time, and gone out in the field. He hoped he hadn't inconvenienced Andromeda too much, or that Liv had made it home earlier than she anticipated.

When the trial finally let out, he practically sprinted to his office to collect his belongings. He needed to get home. Luckily, there was no line at the Floo- it was nearly eight o'clock, on a Friday, no less.

He came through the fireplace, stumbling through because he was so rushed. Liv and Teddy lay on the living room floor, the quilt from his bed hanging between the two arm chairs. Liv's star projector was turned on, the fan whirring loudly. He could smell curry, they must have ordered dinner.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," he said.

Liv had stood up, ducking from underneath the blanket canopy. Teddy followed suit, before crushing Harry in a hug.

Recognizing that he needed a few minutes alone with his godfather to recalibrate, Liv took Teddy's plate and went to the kitchen. She charmed their plates to wash up, but left the food spread out on the dining room table, so Harry could eat when he felt like it. She ran upstairs, quickly, to give Teddy and Harry a few minutes of privacy. She washed her face, scrubbing it with a wash cloth until it felt smooth, then slathered herself in moisturizer.

Harry came through the bedroom door a few moments later, his arms full of work he'd brought home for the weekend. "Andromeda just left him here?"

"Yeah," Liv said, crossing her arms. "What the hell, right?"

"She's never done that before," he said. "That's just… I don't know. I don't like it. I'm going to have to talk to her about that."

"If I'd known…" she trailed off. "I mean, I was traipsing all over London, but, I would've tried, or—"

"I know," he said. "Rutherford pulled me into a Wizengamot trial at the last minute and I was stuck down there until it was over, I would've written if I could—"

"I know," she echoed. "I know."

"So how long had he been alone when you got here?"

"An hour and a half, I think," she said. "He was… very shaken when I walked in. His hair was dark as squid's ink and his eyes were blue, too. It was an awful sight. I had him pick out what he wanted for dinner and then we made a blanket fort and looked at the stars."

"Thank you," he said, shedding his work clothes. He'd gone to his wardrobe and exchanged them for a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt. "Thank you for taking care of him."

"Of course," she said, like there'd been any other option. "Now c'mon, let's spend some time with him together."

**Author's Note: I am so incredibly sorry for having missed Friday's update! My travels took some unexpected turns and posting it completely slipped my mind. Thank you so much to all the kind folks that have reached out, I will post a chapter tomorrow (so three days in a row this week!) to catch us up to speed. I'm incredibly grateful for all the support this story has received, and appreciate each and every review and PM. Evergreen gratitude to my beta, potter-reading-coastie **


	20. Chapter 20

"You're going to fuck me now, right?" She asked, breathlessly.

"Is that what you want?" He asked playfully.

"I've never wanted anything more," she said, her light eyes meeting his. He spread her legs again, and hooked his hands around her thighs so he could manipulate her position a little better. She let out a small squeak as he handled her- gently, but firm.

He rubbed himself against her lips, letting the dampness coat his cock before he lined it up to enter her. As he pressed in, he watched intently as her face contorted in pleasure. While he knew that this was everything she had been begging him for, for such time, he was acutely aware of how much he was asking her body to stretch. Once she engulfed him, he gave her a second to get used to him, as he savored the feeling of her wet tightness enveloping him. Her eyes fluttered open, taking a moment to settle on his face.

"Do I feel okay?" she asked, a smidge of insecurity in her voice.

"Exquisite," he breathed, as he began to pull himself in and out of her. As he found his rhythm, he began kissing her again. She reached up, running her hands through his hair. Although it was their first time, and everything was still exploratory, he felt very comfortable. Her body felt so nice beneath him.

As he pumped in and out of her, she began to moan and sigh. As she drew closer to orgasm again, her fingers found their way clutching him closer, her fingers digging into his back. He enjoyed fucking her until she came on his cock, knowing he'd taken good care of her. Her face was flushed, a small smattering of sweat collecting on her temple, but she had a huge, content smile on her face.

"Do you need a break?" he asked.

"Just a moment or two," she sighed, catching her breath. "Sorry for breaking your rhythm."

"No need to apologize," he murmured, pressing another kiss into her collar bone, and again into her cleavage. "I'm not going to last much longer."

Her lips turned upwards again in a smile. "You can finish inside me, y'know."

For a brief moment, he thought back to how he witnessed her take her dose of contraceptive potion every night before brushing her teeth. He trusted her absolutely, and her blessing only incentivized him over the slumped over, panting, but content. She had a sly smile on her face after getting what she'd wanted for long.

"I told Ron I'd meet him around three," he said.

She glanced over her shoulder towards the clock that said it was already two. "Okay."

"You're still welcome to come," he said, smoothing her hair. "My broom can hold two, or, if you want, I know Ron has some extras—"

She giggled at the thought of flying by herself. "That sounds like a great idea."

"Alright," he said, smiling. "Maybe not. But there's options, is what I'm trying to say."

"Okay," she said. She thought it over a moment. "It sounds...it sounds nice."

"Yeah?" He asked, surprised at her final answer.

"No laughing at me if I do stupid things on a broom," she said. "That goes for Weasley too."

"I'll make sure of it," he said, unable to hide the amused smile on his face.

She rose from bed, her body protesting the movement. She longed to spend all day entwined with him, his skin warm against her own. She felt so comfortable beside him. But she knew it was important to go and spend time with his friends. This was an important move for them to make.

She picked clothes out of her pile of clean laundry, picking a pair of jean shorts and a t shirt. London was warm today, the dense, hot air hanging heavy. "Where are we flying? Their house?"

"The area near their house is pretty dense forest, not great for flying," he said, as he got dressed. "I think we'll go to the Burrow— his parent's place. Lots of good, open space there."

She felt a little nervous about going to Weasley's parent's place. She hadn't even started mentally preparing herself for meeting them at the wedding. "Sounds good."

While he finished getting ready and getting his flying gear together, she went downstairs. There was a ripe watermelon sitting on the counter that she started to cut up to bring with them. The kitchen became filled with the mild, sweet aroma of summer fruits as she broke it down. She heard his footsteps on the stairs as he came down, carrying a knapsack and his broom.

"That looks delicious," Harry said, plucking one of the pink, triangular slices from the cutting board.

She sealed it in a plastic container and placed it in the picnic basket. While he sat at the table eating the slice of watermelon, she took a glass pitcher out of the cabinet and filled it with water and ice. It was a hot day, and she knew that flying would take a lot out of them. She also hoped that she could use food as a way to get in Ron's good graces. She slipped her newest magazine in the basket, just in case they wanted to fly longer than she did.

Once she sealed the pitcher with a cork, she placed it in the basket before securing the top on. "Anything else we need?"

b

"I don't think so," he said, taking a moment to rinse his sticky hands under the faucet. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," she said, trying to sound as confident as possible.

His eyes crinkled as he smiled at her. He recognized the nervousness all over her face. "They're going to like you, Liv. Just be yourself."

"I know," she said, nodding. He grabbed ahold of her by the hand, and led her just past the wards of 13 Grimmauld Place.

When she landed, she lost her balance and fell on her ass in the long grass. "Oh, fuck."

He couldn't help but laugh, but quickly extended his hand to help her up. She wiped off the fuzzy bits of straw that stuck to her legs as she took a moment to take in her surroundings. The sun was high in the sky, casting a golden glow upon what seemed like an endless field. As she turned her head, she could see behind them, behind a large, misshapen house, the field did eventually fade into more of a forest. She tried not to stare at the house, but her eyes were drawn to the way it seemed like it was haphazardly constructed of poorly planned additions.

"It's… something, isn't it?" Harry asked, catching her gaze.

"Yeah," she said, quietly. "Something alright."

"Welcome to the Burrow," he said. He grabbed her hand, leading her around the side of the house. His hand in hers grounded her, and made her feel a bit more secure, but she still felt the blood coursing through her veins at a higher pressure than normal.

"Hey, mate," Ron said, a screen door swinging closed behind him as he exited the house. "About time."

Ron jogged the last ten steps or so towards them. "Decided to join us, Wellwood?"

"I was talked into it," she said, coyly.

"You've got an extra broom or two here, yeah?"

Ron scoffed. "There's a bunch of abandoned ones in the shed. I'm sure we can find something."

"Sounds great," Liv said.

"Your mum around?" Harry asked Ron.

"Yeah, she's inside. She'd love to see you."

"Great," he said. "I'll be right back."

Without a word, he was gone, and it was clear he wasn't intending for Liv to join him. She let her eyes follow him into the house for a moment, unsure of what to say to Ron without the buffer of Harry or Teddy or even Hermione between them.

"C'mon, let's go see what we have in the shed," Ron said, motioning for her to follow him.

She followed him across the unkempt grass, past the vegetable garden. Large, ruby colored globes hung off the tomato plant, drooping in the August sun. Ron used his wand to unlock the door to the shed, which she could quickly see was jam packed full of stuff.

"Sorry," he said, holding back some garden stakes that blocked the path. "My dad's a bit of a nutter. Hates throwing things out."

"You don't say?" she said, ducking under them. Then, as the words hung in the air, she cursed herself for being a bit too sarcastic with him. She was really just anxious and out of sorts without Harry. She let him forage further into the shed, while she was preoccupied by a shelf full of muggle appliances. A toaster, and alarm clock that had stopped at 4:30, even an electric toothbrush. It was odd to see them all lined up like that.

"You okay, Wellwood?" Ron called from across the junk.

"Yeah," she said, realizing it might have been rude to stare at the piles of his father's belongings. "You can call me Liv."

"Sure."

He came back with a broom in his hand. "This is probably the best we've got for you. The rest might be a little bit …wild."

"Great," she said, taking it from him. "I appreciate it."

"Now, maybe we should go rescue Harry. Mum might just keep him in there all day," he said, holding the door open for her.

"Thanks," she said, the broom in one hand, picnic basket in the other. She looked up to see Harry just exiting the house.

"Oh, you gave her this broom?" he asked, taking it out of her hand.

"Yeah, what's wrong with it?"

"Isn't this the one that George charmed to only turn left?" Harry asked, rolling it between his hands.

"I thought Ginny got rid of that one after she fell and rolled her ankle?" he asked. "When she had to miss that exhibition game in Brazil? And nearly killed him?"

She glanced at Harry, as he mulled it over. "I dunno, that was a long time ago."

"I'm pretty sure that's the one Percy bought and used once," Ron said. "I figured it would be a good broom for the uninitiated."

He gave it one last look over. "Let me try it, first."

They had made it pretty far from the house at that point, and she saw a set of Quidditch hoops not too far in the distance. She obliged by holding his broom while he gave hers a test. She watched him sail through the sky without a second thought. Somehow, she knew she wouldn't be half as graceful as he was, but it wasn't really about impressing Ron.

"I think you should be good," Harry said when he touched his feet back on the ground. "It's a little strong, so just take it slow. I'll hang back with you until you're comfortable."

"Thanks," she said, hopping on.

Ron sped ahead, eager to try out his new toy. Harry, though, stayed just a few paces ahead of her as she kicked off the ground. Her stomach protested at the queasy feeling that being midair gave her, but she persisted. She followed Harry up until they were both at a comfortable height, at which he began to pick up his pace. When she tried to do the same, the broom bucked to the left, but she was able to steer it back into her control. She hoped it was a fluke, so after her heartbeat slowed down, she started flying again. Harry had stalled his broom, watching her to make sure she was okay.

She kicked her foot against the foot rest, trying to speed up again to catch up with him, but the speed just caused her to get thrown further off balance when the broom bucked again. For a moment, she lost her balance, and although she tried to regain it, the broom just went left no matter what. She felt herself heading towards the ground, the trees spinning around her making her dizzy.

She briefly tried to get to her wand, stowed in her pocket, but every time she tried to reach down she spun further.

"Arresto Momentum!" she heard Harry shout, from so far away it seemed impossible the spell would actually help. Her head hit the ground first, the broom buoying up behind her.

The spell hit her about a foot off the ground, bouncing her up and then slowly down to the grass.

The jerk hit her neck hard, and when she hit the ground, she couldn't help but groan. She kept her eyes squeezed tightly shut, trying to ignore the whiplash.

Harry touched down beside her moments later. "I'm fine, I promise."

"I couldn't get to my wand sooner, I'm sorry," he said. "That looked like a rough fall."

"I'm really fine," she said, pushing off the ground to sit up. Her head protested, and she was a little dizzy, but ultimately... fine.

The screen door clanged against the house, and Ginny came running out towards them. "I saw her fall, is she okay?"

"She'll be okay," Harry said, brushing the grass out of her hair.

"Do you want me to get mum?"

Annoyed by the way Ginny wanted to talk around her, Liv cleared her throat. "I'm not hurt, just shaken, but thank you."

Ron touched down behind them. "What happened?"

"That damn broom would only go left," Harry said.

"Ah, fuck."

"You let her ride that one, idiot?" Ginny asked her brother, reaching for it.

"I'm sorry, Liv," Ron said, and she could tell how upset he was.

"Don't worry, really. If it hadn't been the broom I would've lost my balance some other way, I'm sure."

"Do you want to head back to the house?" Harry asked, but Liv shook her head, despite the pain. She absolutely didn't want to put a stop to their fun, and didn't want to make Ron feel badly.

"I insist you guys get back on your brooms and enjoy yourselves."

"We can reschedule," Ron said, nodding at Harry.

"Go," She said, waving them off with her hand. "Now."

Harry knew she was serious, so he got up. "Let's give her space."

Ginny shook her head, and headed back up to the house, which helped ease Liv's anxiety. She uncorked the bottle of ice water, pouring it into one of the cups she'd brought. Her head throbbed, and she felt a deep ache in her neck, which she tried to ignore.

She watched them fly for a while, eventually they started tossing a ball back and forth. Harry was actually pretty skilled. Her headache subsided a bit, thought she knew her neck was going to give her issues for a few days. She lazily flipped through her magazine, enjoying the warmth of the sun.

Eventually, they touched down near her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Completely fine," she lied. "It looked worse than it felt."

He looked at her skeptically, not totally buying it. So she offered them the water and melon, diverting the attention. She chose a slice of watermelon out of the container, and took a bite. It was sweet and perfectly ripe, the ideal treat for such a warm afternoon.

"Are you sure you still want to come over for dinner?" Ron asked.

"Absolutely," she said, without hesitating.

Harry looked more unsure than her. "I need a shower first, so we'll go home and meet you at the cottage if that's alright."

"By all means," he said. "I'll let Hermione know."

She packed up their belongings and he got them both home, landing them in the bedroom. She sunk down on their bed, her head resting on a soft, down pillow.

**Author's Note: Apologies that this installment almost didn't make it up in time today! I do not recommend a 7.5 car ride with a migraine. And, kudos to my husband who woke me up when I was asleep at mu desk while trying to get this chapter together. Thanks to all my supporters, especially my great beta, potter-readung-vs**


	21. Chapter 21

"Alright," he said. "Tell me how bad it _actually_ hurts."

"Do you have any pain salve?" she asked as she finally relaxed enough to access what damage had been done.

"Of course," he said, going to his nightstand. He had a small, purple bottle and a tin of salve. He used a dropper to take a dose of pain potion out of the bottle and placed it under her tongue.

She shuddered, coughing.

"I know it's bitter but it'll help you a lot," he said. Then, smoothing her hair off her neck, he started rubbing the waxy balm into her skin. It tingled for a few moments, before numbing everything up. "Please rest."

"I will."

"I'm going to shower and shave, and when I'm done, we can reevaluate things. If you're not feeling well enough to go, I promise we can reschedule."

She nodded, sinking into their fluffy pillows as the potion gripped her. It made her head fuzzy, taking away the pain but also most of her awareness. To the soothing sound of water falling, she drifted in and out of awareness.

She wasn't sure how long she had been out when he laid on bed next to her. She could smell the eucalyptus lingering on his skin from his shaving cream. He was wearing only jeans, his toned stomach bare.

"Hi," she said, stroking his smooth face.

"How are you feeling, love?"

"A little sleepy," she murmured. "But good enough to go to dinner, I think."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said. "I don't want Ron to feel badly."

"He did mess up."

"It wasn't malicious," she said, standing up and stretching. She grabbed a sundress and changed into it, slicking on more deodorant and a spritz of perfume. She brushed her hair, her neck only complaining slightly at the movement. He watched her from the bed. "Plus, I want to make a good impression. I can use him feeling bad to my advantage. I don't want to be your annoying girlfriend... I want to be a welcome addition."

"Oh, Liv," he said, getting up. "You already are. He was impressed by you waving us off."

He hugged her tightly, his strong arms wrapped around her tightly. She rested her head on his shoulder, leaning on him as he rubbed his hands up and down her back.

"Shall we get going?" She asked.

"Probably," he said, walking to his wardrobe and pulling out a shirt.

She headed downstairs to grab the bottle of wine and cherry tart she had picked out to bring. She was certainly not going to show up empty handed. The stairs creaked as Harry bounded down them. She slipped on her sandals and decided she was ready to go.

He used side along apparition to get her there, knowing it would be easier on her head. The cottage in front of them was the definition of quaint, a thatched roof topping it off.

The front yard was full of wildflowers, in a slightly haphazard pattern. She followed the stone path to the door. "This is cute."

"I think so."

Hermione opened the wooden front door for them. "Welcome."

"How are you doing, 'Mione?" Harry asked, greeting her with a hug.

"Very glad you made it," she said, smiling. She turned to Liv. "I heard you took a small tumble."

"A tiny one," she said, as graciously as possible. "But I've made a full recovery. We brought a cherry tart for dessert."

Hermione took it from her. "This looks wonderful, thank you, Liv. Come on in."

Their house was cozy, but had touches of upscale artwork throughout. It actually worked, the touches of hand knit blankets and ample family photos coupled with the canvases. They didn't move, so Liv figured they were Muggle.

"Can I get you a drink?" Hermione asked, pulling wine out of the fridge.

Liv knew that wine would not mix well with what Harry had given her, but didn't know how to graciously turn it down.

"I think the heat did us both in this afternoon," Harry said, reaching for a bottle of sparkling water instead. It was obvious he was very comfortable in their home, grabbing two glasses out of the cupboard. The kitchen was a perfect blend of modern, useful items and cozy, rustic ones.

"Of course," she said, moving aside for him. "Ron's got the grill fired up out back, we've got some kebabs and vegetables to grill up."

"Sounds delicious," Liv said. A fat orange cat had lumbered down the stairs and come to rub against Harry's legs. He happily pet it, scratching it behind the ears.

"Let's go out back," she said. The backyard was more groomed than the front yard, a small plot of plants to one side. She could see tomatoes, cucumber, even some pepper. There was a small stone patio with a table and umbrella to shade them from the afternoon sun.

She carried a platter of food to Ron, to start to grill. There were skewers loaded with chunks of seasoned meats and vegetables, as well as corn and eggplant to be grilled separately. It looked like quite the feast. Maybe this would be okay after all.

"Well, we, uh, have some news," Ron said, shifting in his seat. She finished her bite of dinner and didn't take another, because she knew exactly what they were about to share, but did her best to play dumb. Judging by the look on Harry's face, his cluelessness was genuine.

"Oh?" He said, after he finished chewing a bite of eggplant. She wondered in that moment if it was something she should have prepared him for in advance, though it was too late. She's sussed out over their time together, from bits of information gleaned here and there, that the cornerstone of his divorce lay in wanting children sooner than Ginny. She knew that it was not an outright emotional blister, but it was perhaps, a splinter.

"I'm pregnant," Hermione said. It was clear she'd just barely been holding it in. Liv didn't blame her, it was obviously something they were very happy about and had been a long time coming. Liv clapped her hands together.

She watched Harry's face, seeing a slight waiver of confidence before he broke out in a large grin. "That's wonderful!"

He stood up, first crushing Ron in a giant hug, then treating her a bit more gently. Liv kissed Hermione's cheek. "I'm so happy for you both."

"I had a feeling you knew," Hermione said, sensing Liv's hesitation.

She just shrugged. "I mean… I may have had a hunch, but nothing certain. And it's not the kind of thing you ask about, yeah?

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"So… when?" Harry asked.

"The end of February," Hermione responded, resting her hand on the small swell of her stomach. She looked at ease.

"I'm so happy," Harry said, the shock still evident on his face. . "You two will make great parents. I cannot wait to meet your child."

There was a knock on her office door, pulling her back down to earth. She'd been lost in a case that was particularly interesting and had her on the floor of her office with files in every direction.

"Come in," she called, flipping the page she was reading.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, a look of bemusement and a bit of shock on his face. He shut the door behind him.

"What?" she asked, then looked at the piles of files. "Oh, yeah, of course."

"It looks like your filing cabinet vomited."

"Yeah, yeah," she said, standing up. "I'll get it organized once I can make sense of this case."

"The new one?" he asked. "The Salem Brothers case?"

"Mmhm," she said. picking up the stack of files she'd been reading and placing them on her desk. "What's going on?"

"It's actually about them," he said, sitting down in the chair opposite her desk. "Rutherford wants me and a few others to do some work on the ground for the case."

"Oh," she said, lazily making notes on the parchment in front of her. "Yeah, that's certainly a good idea."

"He wants us to leave before sun up tomorrow," he said slowly. "It might be a few days."

She looked up at him. "A few days?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

She sighed, taking her glasses off and rubbing her eyes. She took a sip from her mug, but winced at the cold coffee. "Ugh."

"I know," he said. "I'm not particularly thrilled about it, but it's my job."

"Of course, of course," she said, the words rushing out of her mouth. She didn't mean to make him feel bad about something that was an intrinsic part of their careers. "Well, that's fine then. You've got to do what you've got to— oh. The wedding."

He nodded, slowly, and she realized that had been what he was waiting for. "Yeah."

"It's fine," she said, though she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up with dread. "I'll go with Teddy. No big deal."

"I don't mind writing Ginny and letting her know you won't be able to make it."

"You can't," she said, despite the deep desire to not have to interact with his ex wife. "It's three days before the wedding… that's terribly rude. I can't do that."

"They've invited two hundred people," he said. "They won't care."

"I've a feeling she will," she said. "I'll go. I will be very pleasant to everyone and I will hang out with Teddy and leave as soon as is reasonable after the cake is served."

"I'm sorry, Liv," he said, again.

"It's fine," she said, her eyes returning to the papers on her desk. "Seriously, don't worry about it. I'll be fine. I'm a big girl."

"I know," he said. "Thank you."

"Now get back to work," she said. "We'll talk more about it tonight, okay?"

He leaned over her desk to kiss her quickly. "See you later, Liv."

Around midnight, he untangled his legs from hers and got up to open the windows. Liv slept obliviously, just a sheet around her otherwise naked body. He felt restless, and guilty for leaving her. If he had known he would be flying halfway across the country, he never would have responded that he and Liv would be attending the wedding. It was one thing to ask her to attend as his date, but to subject her to the entire Weasley family, up to and including the weirdest of their weird cousins, without him there to act as a buffer? It seemed unreasonable.

He'd spoken to Molly, who had completely understood his situation and reassured him that if she wanted to stay home, they wouldn't be offended. Hermione promised to keep an eye out for Liv at the reception to make sure there was nothing to be worried about. He felt uneasy about subjecting her to the crowd, though he knew she could handle it.

He stood at the window, the fresh evening air blowing against his bare midriff. Hermione had reassured him that Ginny was happy he was bringing a date to Charlie's wedding, but he wasn't entirely sure. She'd told him there was no reason to contact Ginny, but he felt otherwise. He looked to his bags, packed and waiting for him in front of the wardrobe, and walked towards them. He took out his parchment, a quill and some ink to write to Ginny.

_I've had to go away for work. Please be nice to Liv at the wedding._

He blew on the ink to make it dry faster, waiting until the moonlight that shone through the bedroom windows showed it had dried flat. He folded it in thirds, using his thumb nail to flatten the crease, and left it atop his work bag. He would mail it in the morning before he departed.

"Harry?" Liv asked, sitting up from bed. "What are you doing?"

He closed the difference between where he was crouching and the bed, getting in beside her. "Nothing, love."

"Can't sleep?" she asked, quietly, wrapping an arm around his middle.

He settled into the embrace, running his fingers through her messy hair. "Just a little restless."

"It's going to be fine," she said. "You don't need to worry about me."

"I know," he said, not giving her enough credit for her strength. "I'm not."

"You're a terrible liar," she whispered. He chuckled, brushing her hair out of her face. She leaned up to kiss him, cupping his stubbly face in her soft palm. At the encouragement of his body, she swung a leg over him, straddling him. "I might know a way to tire you out."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, unable to wipe the smirk off his face.

"Most certainly."

—-

Friday night after work found her emptying a bottle of wine over a take away container of chicken korma. The house was empty, and still. Too still. Once upon a time, an empty flat on the weekend was her definition of solace. Now, though… she had realized what she was missing. She wished that Harry was home, cooking them a delicious meal, or that Teddy was around, fiddling with the radio dial until a Quidditch game came on. The house felt too empty for her own good.

She woke up after midnight, on the couch, her wine glass still in her hand. On her way to the bed, she stopped in the bedroom across the hall. She had a few dresses hanging on the door of the wardrobe, unsure of which to pick. For just a moment, it was odd not to have purchased any beautiful gowns in the last few months. She had originally intended to wear the pink silky gown she had worn to Finnegan's wedding a few months back, at Harry's request. But now that he wouldn't be her date, she wasn't sure. She had pulled out a deep aubergine dress that was nearly backless and a peach colored gown that shimmered in the light. She stared at them for a few moments before deciding she would choose in the morning.

Upon settling in their bed, on his side, she felt a great sadness that he wasn't there. In a way, the awkwardness of having to attend the wedding was overshadowed by the loss of the first time they would be out in public as a couple. She was looking forward to dancing with him, to meeting people he had known for ages and being introduced as his girlfriend. It was a move that felt reaffirming. She was reassured by the fact that wherever he was, he was wishing he was with her.

The silky material of the pink dress felt lovely against her freshly shaven legs. If only Harry was here to enjoy them...

He had promised to write if he could, but she wasn't surprised to have not gotten a letter yet. She knew he would be home the first possible second he could. Part of her wished he would have made it home miraculously early, in time to take her to the wedding, but it didn't happen.

She bent down to fasten her sandals, and grabbed her clutch. In the mirror, she looked good. Her hair was beautifully waved, longer than it had ever been. A light wash of blush colored her pale cheeks, a berry colored lipstick tied the look together. Her appearance gave her enough confidence that she would get through the evening in one piece. Most likely.

A quick glance at the clock told her she needed to leave now, so she hurried outside of the wards. A quick trip via apparition, and she was at the traveling point just outside the Burrow. And she certainly wasn't alone, though she didn't recognize anyone. She followed the torches, staked in the ground, covered with wildflowers, towards the house.

Everyone was gathered toward the edge of the field, sitting on split logs. It was a beautiful, picturesque scene. Among the throngs of people she didn't know, she spotted Teddy and his grandmother. Teddy spotted her from the distance, and ran towards her. "Liv!"

His bounding turned into a hug when he got close enough, and she felt oh so much gratitude to him.

"You look so pretty!" He said.

"Oh, Teddy," she said, ruffling her fingers through his messy hair. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Come sit with me and Nan," he said, grabbing her by the arm. She noticed a few people looking at her as she took a seat next to Teddy and Andromeda.

"It's so good you could make it, dear," Andromeda said, leaning over her grandson. "It's too bad Harry couldn't be here."

"He really wishes he could be here," Liv said, fussing with her hands.

"I'm sure he does," she said, her eyes stern on the crowd. Liv declined to follow Andromeda's gaze to see who she was scowling at. Liv could guess.

"I love weddings," Teddy said. "They've always got lots of good food. Do you think there will be cake?"

Liv snorted. "Y'know, I think there's a very good chance there will be cake."

"And pumpkin juice?"

"It's highly likely."

"Yorkshire pudding?"

"Maybe," she mused. "You're making me hungry, Ted."

He grinned at her, and she felt grateful that he was here with her. He was such a welcome addition to her life, ans not just as a buffer to the crowd.

The string quartet began to play, and the few people that had been dawdling took the signal to take their seats. She was ambivalent towards weddings, truly. Finnegan's ceremony had been nice, though she couldn't remember any of the details. Would the wedding have been nicer if her boyfriend was at her side? Probably, though not hugely. She enjoyed Harry's company, and he had brought so much joy and love to her life, but marriage seemed so… far from the life they were living. It wasn't something she was entirely convinced she wanted. They had never spoken about it, though, and she really had no idea how he felt about the subject. She made a mental note to ask Harry how he felt at some point, when it was convenient, maybe after a glass of wine or two…

Having never met the bride or groom or any of their attendants, save a handful, it was a rather boring wedding for Liv to attend. Luckily, the ceremony itself was quick and she was able to fight through the crowd of people to get a glass of wine quickly.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and filled with dread, hoping she wouldn't have to speak to Ginny one-on-one, politely in the crowd. She turned to see Hermione, though, who was a welcome face. "Oh, Liv, I'm so glad you decided to come."

"Thank you," she said. She noticed that today, there was no hiding the bump of her stomach underneath a baggy jumper. Instead, her dress practically embraced it. "You look really great, Hermione."

She blushed a bit, but did look grateful. "I'm so sorry he wasn't able to make it—"

"Oh, it's fine," Liv lied. "It's the nature of our job. You know how it is."

"Of course," she said. "It was so nice to have you two over for dinner last week."

"Thank you for having us, we'll have to have you 'round soon, yeah?"

"Absolutely," she said. "It's lovely to see you here, though, Liv. Feel free to stop by our table, we're up front."

The idea of being towards the front, where more people would undoubtedly notice her made her skin crawl, but the smile on her face didn't waver. "I really appreciate it, Hermione."

"Of course. I hope you enjoy yourself."

"I'm sure I will." Liv said, at a loss for anything else to say to her. She liked Hermione, who had been very kind to her, but socializing seemed much easier with someone else as a cushion. Even Ron would've been a welcome addition for that moment.

Hermione spotted someone else she needed to greet, which gave Liv the opportunity to excuse herself. She grabbed some crudités and took a seat next to Teddy at a table under the giant tent.

"Found yourself some food?" She asked him, as he stuffed a slice of bread and cheese in his mouth.

She dipped a few slices of radish into some salsa and ate it herself

"Oh yeah," he said, through the mouth full of food.

"Manners, Ted."

"Tho-wy."

She couldn't help but chuckle at him, and was eternally grateful their table was off to the side, by the edge of the tent. As Andromeda worked the crowd, Liv and Teddy could enjoy the solace.

"Ginny's been looking at you a lot," Teddy said, glancing over Liv's shoulder.

As great as he was, he lacked discretion, though perhaps she was expecting a little too much out of a thirteen year old. She resisted the urge to turn around and look back, instead fanning her hair over her shoulder to block that side of her face. "Don't stare back, Ted. It's rude."

He shrugged, before downing his glass of pumpkin juice. He was certainly going through a growth spurt.

As Andromeda worked the crowd, she had gathered a few distant relatives who wanted to see how big Teddy had gotten, which Liv used as an excuse to get a refill on her glass of wine. The crowd near the bar had died down a bit, and she was able to get up close quickly.

"A glass of moscato, please," she requested, dropping a few Knuts in the tip jar. She did _so_ appreciate an open bar.

"I don't believe we've met," a tall, lanky gentleman said, leaning into her at the bar. She was a tad alarmed, but remained calm.

"Liv Wellwood," she said, extending her hand.

"And how do you know the bride and groom?"

She opened her mouth for a moment, not immediately sure how to answer that question. "I... well, uh..."

He cracked a large smile, and let out a chuckle at her. "I'm George Weasley," he explained. "I know who you are, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Her cheeks flushed, and she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. "You as well."

"He bothering you?"

Liv turned to see Ron had come up behind her.

"Oh, it's fine," she said, waving him off. "Absolutely."

"C'mon, Ron, I was being friendly. I was just about to buy her the next round!"

"It's an open bar, you prick," he said, about to smack his brother upside the head.

She smiled, and raised the glass of wine to her lips, not knowing how else to react as the brothers bickered.

Ron shooed his brother away, and began to walk Liv back to her table. "Is my family bothering you?"

"No, no, everyone's been very kind so far," she said, trying to remain as neutral as possible. The way Ron was speaking to her was a far cry from when he'd first encountered her in Harry's kitchen two months ago. "Truly."

"If anyone gives you trouble, please let me know," he said.

"I'm sure they won't."

He nodded, without anything else to say, left her at her table with Teddy, Andromeda, and a few others she had yet to meet. Dinner was beginning, as course after course of delicious plates of food began to make their way to the tables.

The food alone made any awkward encounters worthwhile. She dove into her roast pork dinner with gusto, savoring every delicious bite. The other ladies at their table gossiped away with Andromeda, and she enjoyed listening to them.

As the sun began to set, twinkling fairy lights lit up under the tent. It was a gorgeous sight. As the alcohol started flowing even harder, people took to the dance floor, enjoying the live music.

She started debating when it would be okay for her to sneak out, but Teddy dragged her into the dance floor.

**Author's Note: And with this chapter, we are officially caught up (and hopefully for the last time, hah!). Thanks to all the kind folks who have sent messages and reviews, I **_**think**_** at the point I've gotten back to everyone one. If not, don't hesitate to leave a and let me know **** For those who are intrigued by the dynamic between Liv and Ginny, you're **_**really **_**going to love the next chapter. **_**Many**_** thanks to the eternally great potter-reading-coastie. **


	22. Chapter 22

He was exhausted. In the forest, he'd slept on a hammock between trees while two others alternated their watch. He'd gotten maybe two hours of sleep.

But instead of going home, straight to his warm and comfortable bed, he found himself traipsing across the lawn at the Burrow, headed towards the group celebrating under the large tent. He'd changed into the nicest clothes he had on his person, and was here to surprise Liv. He had a feeling that the look on her face when she realized he was there would make it all worth it.

At the edge of the tent, he paused, observing the chaos within. He spotted Liv on the dance floor, dancing with Teddy to the fast beat song the band was playing. He expected her to look more reserved, more sheepish, but she had pleasantly surprised him. He had a feeling a few glasses of wine and her short, spiky-haired sidekick had something to do with that.

"Hey, stranger," Ginny's voice called, in an almost taunting tone. Even after almost five years, she still had the uncanny knack to know exactly where he was and what he was up to.

"Hey, Ginny."

"I thought you weren't going to be able to make it."

"I was able to get out of the field early, didn't think anyone would mind if I dropped by," he said.

"Oh no, I don't think anyone will mind at all," she said, her gaze following his and settling on Liv and Teddy, who were making their way to the chocolate foundation. "They're very close."

"Yeah," he said. "It's good. I like that Ted has more people in his life that love him."

She nodded, and they stood in silence for a few minutes, watching as Teddy and Liv shared a laugh over something in line for the chocolate.

"No one's given her a hard time, I presume?"

"Of course not," she said, crossing her arms at him.

"Good."

"I must admit, I was reluctant to like her."

"Oh?" he asked. Years of experience with her told him that she would be more forthcoming with information if he didn't ask specific questions, so he turned to her and waited for her to fill the silence.

"I believe Ron's first description of her was 'Crookshanks after we give him a bath'," she said.

He couldn't help but snort. It wasn't the kindest of descriptions… but he had to admit, it wasn't that far off base from the Liv he had first gotten to know. "She's been through a lot."

"As have you," she explained, nodding at him.

"She's grown a lot," he said, quietly. He felt the words falling out of his mouth. Part of it was how exhausted he was, perhaps another part more confident in speaking because Liv was not nearby and wouldn't know what he was saying. Not that he wasn't speaking well of her, but she was weird about him praising her to others. "She's always been lovely underneath it all, and I'm glad others are starting to see that as well. She's been a great addition in my life."

"I'm glad you've found someone that makes you happy, Harry."

He smiled. "Me too."

As Ted and Liv turned to return to their table, her eyes flickered up and saw him. The smile that spread across her face was worth all the rushing around to get here. She beamed at him, and she and Teddy rushed to join him.

"Why would you waste chocolate on fruit?" Teddy asked, watching someone dip a strawberry in the cascading fountain.

"Not everyone wants to develop scurvy, Ted," she said, handing him a skewer.

"I've got lots of years ahead of me to eat fruits and vegetables," he said, selecting a piece of pound cake.

They had quite the selection of chocolate covered goodies by the time he was ready to walk away. She put her arm around his shoulder as they made their way back to their table. She could feel eyes on her, but not the way she had all night. She looked up, searching the crowd to see who was watching her, when she saw Harry standing at the edge of the tent, just out of the darkness.

"Look who's here," Liv said, leaning down to whisper in Teddy's ear.

"Harry!" He said, taking off in his direction. She laughed, and followed him. He and Ginny stood close, and she could tell they had been chatting, but his face lit up when he saw she had noticed him.

He wrapped his arms around her when she got close enough, and she was so delighted to hug him. He smelled like damp earth and his face was covered in stubble, but she didn't care one bit.

"I didn't think you'd be able to make it," she said, barely containing her smile.

"I didn't think I would be," he said, earnestly. "But I thought at least one person wouldn't mind if I was a little late."

In that moment, she didn't care if Ginny was right next to them watching, or if people around them had noticed them, she pressed her lips against his.

"I'm so glad to see you."

He smiled, wrapping his right arm around her shoulder and keeping her close to him. It felt like ages since they had seen each other, despite the fact it had just been a few days.

"Your family does know how to throw a party, Ginny," Liv said, smiling at her. With Harry by her side, she had a newfound confidence and figured it was time to acknowledge her.

"I'm glad you've enjoyed yourself," she said.

She led Harry back to their table, where he made polite conversation with Andromeda while they devoured her plate of chocolate covered fruit. They cut the cake, and slices started to float to their table, where Harry began to devour his.

"They didn't feed you in the field?" She asked, amused.

"Dodgy food," he said, shuddering. "Only so many reconstituted curries a man can eat. It had me longing for your cooking."

She smirked. "You prick."

He chuckled into his second piece of cake. She sat there, her hand on his back, so grateful he had made it back to be with her. She felt content, truly content.

Ron and Hermione stopped at their table for a bit, and they caught up. She added to the conversation where she could, but was mostly just happy to sit next to him at the wedding. When his plans had changed, and she had lost her date, she mourned the loss of their first event… as a couple. But it was everything that she dreamed about, really.

"Ted's off to Hogwarts soon, isn't he?" Ron asked.

"Already?" Liv asked, turning to Harry for confirmation. She nursed another glass of wine, sparkling this time, left over from the toast.

"Yeah, September 1st is coming quickly," he said. "The summer's flown by, hasn't it?"

A pang of sadness hit her stomach as she considered how boring their lives would be when Teddy went back to Hogwarts. She would certainly miss having him around. She spied him across the tent, dancing with some of the Weasley children— who their parents were, she wasn't certain, but the red hair and freckles left no question. Her lips turned up at the sight of them having fun.

"Summers felt so long as a kid," she mused. "Having to be away from Hogwarts… felt like decades passed between May and September."

"I think we all knew that feeling," Ron agreed.

Shortly after, Teddy and Andromeda gathered their things— it was, after all, getting late. He leaned in to give her a hug goodbye.

"Can I come over tomorrow?" Teddy asked, eagerly. "I really feel like pancakes."

"Teddy, we've got pancakes at our house," Andromeda countered.

"I know, but Harry makes them better."

The table of adults laughed as Harry and Liv exchanged a glance. "I don't see why not," she said.

"Great!" he exclaimed, as he and Andromeda headed for the travel point at the edge of the property.

"He's really enamored with you, Liv," Hermione pointed out.

"They took to each other instantly," Harry explained.

"It was all the kid. He's just fantastic," she said, trying to play it off. "How could anyone dislike him?"

As the night was beginning to wane, the music slowed down. Harry put his arm around her shoulders. "How 'bout a dance before we call it a night?"

She smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

Although he was tired, being with Liv and his best friends and Teddy had reenergized him. Hermione was right— he was so lucky that Liv and Teddy were so close, so quickly. Instead of responding to his attention to Liv with jealousy, Teddy found a new friend. Harry had no doubt their relationship would strengthen as time went on.

He led her by the hand to the dance floor, placing his arms around waist as they swayed with the music. "You look wonderful tonight."

A blush creeped up her cheeks— part wine, and part embarrassment at being complimented, even by him. He found it endearing.

"Remember the last time we danced at a wedding?" he asked.

She smiled, and looked down at the dress she was wearing— the same silky, pink one she had worn that night. She'd gotten her chance to make better memories in it. "Of course… It's easy to say I had a better time tonight."

"Yeah, the Weasleys know how to throw a party, huh?"

"That's not what I meant," she said. "And you know that. I'm so glad you were able to make it tonight."

"Me too. There's nowhere and no one else I would rather be with tonight."

As the song wound down, he could tell she was ready to get home, and he certainly didn't need to be told twice. He looked around the room— those that were left were busy in conversation with others, and he didn't feel the need to make a fuss out of saying goodbye. They grabbed her clutch, his rucksack, and another piece of cake, before walking hand in hand to the travel point.

—

She was tired, and a little bit hungover when she woke, due to the sun streaming in their bedroom windows. At first she tried to fight it, but there was no denying the beautiful blue sky on a Sunday morning. With the windows open, the sound of birds chirping and light city traffic floated in, the constant ambient noise of the city.

She looked to her left to see the dark haired man snoozing soundly beside her. She glanced at the clock just beyond his shoulder and decided that he deserved to sleep in. What time Teddy would show up was anyone's guess, but she decided it would probably be a good idea to head downstairs.

Using the french press, she brewed a pot of coffee, knowing that they would both be drinking plenty today. After their brunch with Teddy, she had plenty of work to review before the week started again tomorrow. Two cups of coffee and a dose of Hangover Draught in, her headache started to dissipate, so she settled in on the couch with the Sunday morning edition of The Daily Prophet. She would fill in the answers she knew to the crossword puzzle, and Harry was pretty good about picking up where her knowledge left off.

A little before ten, the Floo rattled, and she stood up to welcome Teddy, who was content to sit in the kitchen with her while she cooked. She handed him the comic section, and got to work making the nicest brunch she was capable of.

"Harry's still asleep?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think he's making up for all the sleep he lost in the field," she explained, placing some frozen sausage into a hot pan.

"I'm sure the smell of breakfast will wake him up," he said, picking at some of the grapes in the fruit bowl on the dining room table. She poured him a glass of orange juice from the fridge, then she cut up some melon for him.

"You're probably right," she said. And he was— maybe ten minutes later, she heard the floorboards creaking upstairs. She felt bad for him, having gone multiple days in a row without good sleep, rushing to the wedding last night, and getting up early to hang out with Teddy. It was a lot.

She grabbed a mug out of the cupboard and made him a cup of coffee, with cream and the extra sugar she knew he would like. He sprang into the kitchen, as if he wasn't running on a huge sleep deficit, and greeted her with a quick peck on the lips. "Good morning, Liv."

"Morning, love," she said, smiling. She handed him the cup of coffee as he got settled in the seat next to Ted's, picking up the crossword.

"Good morning, Ted," he said, ruffling the boy's hair as he turned back to her. "Making breakfast for us?"

"You did say you missed my cooking," she mused, as she sliced bananas for their pancakes.

"I did," he said. "Did you enjoy the wedding, Teddy?"

"Oh, yeah," he said. "All the food was really great!"

"What was your favorite food?" Liv asked, purely out of curiosity.

"Chocolate fountain was pretty cool," he said. "Though you wasted yours on fruit."

She chuckled, as she flipped the pancakes. She had three griddles going at once, so that they would be able to eat at the same time. Between the coffee, sausage, fruit, and golden brown pancakes, they were going to be eating well this morning. Reaching into the cabinet, she selected three plates for them.

"When are you guys going to get married?"

When the words were out of Teddy's mouth, Liv found herself so startled that the plates slipped out of her fingers before she could even think about it. Harry lunged across the table, casting a charm that caused them to bounce off the floor, before slowly clanging to rest. Her cheeks grew red, but she was so shocked she didn't have time to react before embarrassing herself.

He got up, a smile wide across his face, as if there was a joke she wasn't in on, and helped her collect the plates. They did it in silence, because Liv sure as hell wasn't answering that question.

"Y'know, Ted," Harry began, as he sat down. "It might happen someday, but it's not something we're planning yet. And if it does happen, it's definitely not going to be a big deal like Charlie's was."

"But you like each other so much!"

"We do," he said, patiently. She listened intently, partly grateful that Teddy had broken this barrier for her, but also partly mortified. "But…"

"Y'know, your parents were together for a few years before they got married," Harry explained, taking a few links of sausage off the plate she had just set down in front of him. She had no other dishes to fuss with, so she took her seat opposite them. "Almost three years, I think. But they didn't tell everyone as soon as they got together, they wanted to keep it to themselves for awhile."

"Like you and Liv did?"

She looked up at him, for the first time since Teddy's first question. He didn't look nearly half as flustered as she felt, but was answering the questions very calmly. "Sort of. They also worked together, and sometimes it's just easier to keep things to yourself… when other people get involved, things can get weird for everyone."

She didn't know much about Tonks, or Remus, but the basics he had filled her in on once and what she'd gleaned from the pictures he kept in Teddy's bedroom.

"Well, I knew about you," Teddy said, proudly.

"You did," Liv said, finally finding a place she felt comfortable jumping back into the conversation. "That's a privileged position, y'know."

He smiled, before stuffing his mouth full of pancake. Liv finally was able to release a deep breath, one she didn't know she was keeping in. She took his cue to eat her breakfast, and had to admit that she was impressed she hadn't burned a single thing. It was all rather edible, and if the empty plates across from her were any indication, to the great satisfaction of her dining companions.

She waited, to see if Teddy would ask any more nosy questions. But as soon as they were done eating and breakfast was cleared off the table, he settled in the living room to listen to the Quidditch game. She remained in the kitchen, making another pitcher of coffee.

"Next time out, it's time to get you back to your Nan's," Harry said from the other room.

Teddy began to protest, because he wanted to stay and listen to the game with him, which filled her with mixed feelings. Part of her was nervous for him to leave, because then they would be without a buffer and probably have to acknowledge the big question he'd brought up.

"You can come back next week," he said, "For sure. Maybe not Saturday, but I think we can certainly do pancakes for breakfast on Sunday if you'd like."

He was agreeable to this plan, and she settled on the couch next to Harry. He wrapped his arms around her, and it felt very comforting despite the nagging insecurity inside her. Luckily, the Cannons called a time out not so long after, which meant it was time for Harry to escort Ted back to Andromeda's. She gave him a hug goodbye, before heading upstairs to shower off.

In the shower, she tried to focus on things like all the work she had to do this afternoon and what they would order for dinner instead of _oh, does my boyfriend like me enough to maybe consider marrying me some day_? The easiest way to deal with her apprehension in finding out the real answer was to distract herself.

When she was drying off, she heard him come into the bedroom. He was waiting for her when she emerged, wrapped in a towel.

"Let's go on a hike," he said, as soon as she met his gaze.

"A hike?" she asked, confused. She figured he would want a relaxing afternoon to recharge. "You don't want to, I dunno, nap? Order take out? Shag?"

He nodded. "Well, yes. But my adrenaline is still up and I'd like to go on a hike with you."

She blinked at him, processing what he was saying while she picked out clothes for the day. "A hike?"

"Humor me, will you?" he asked.

"Okay," she said. "We'll go on a hike. I'll get dressed now."

"Will you pack a lunch?" He asked, stripping his pajamas off.

"If you missed my meals that much, I'll make anything you want."

"Sandwiches?"

"Of course."

"I'm going to hop in the shower, then we'll go?"

"Sure."

**Author's Note: How's THAT for a chapter to end the week with? Be sure to let me know in the reviews, and I'll be back with the resolution of Harry and Liv's ensuing conversation on Monday. As always, thanks to my beta, potter-reading-coastie. **


	23. Chapter 23

She'd made them each ham sandwiches, with Swiss cheese and mustard on fresh rye bread she'd picked up front the bakery down the block the other day, and packed them up in the picnic basket. She poured ice water into a repurposed wine bottle, jamming the cork in, and nestled it beside the sandwiches. A quick glance in the pantry, and she came away with a mostly full bag of malt vinegar flavored crisps. The perfect lunch.

He bounded down the stairs, hair still wet. She was a little unsure of precisely what to make of his mood. He was hyper-distracted, and very insistent on this hike. He had asked her to humor him, so she was going to, but she was hesitant at the same time. "All set?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Where are we off to?" she asked, as he offered her his arm.

"Norfolkshire," he said. "One of my favorite trails. I think you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will."

They landed just off a paved path. He was quiet and quick, but she managed to match his pace with some effort. The paved path was pretty well populated, as they weaved between families and runners. He seemed very determined in his steps, so she trusted him. He had obviously taken the trail many times before.

After about fifteen minutes, the paved trail ended, and he forked to the left. His pace slowed to a gentle walk, and she was very grateful. They were the only ones on this trail, it seemed, which turned from smooth through rolling hills to slightly rockier, as it met a stream. They walked, Liv's hand tucked safely in Harry's, for the better part of an hour. She wanted to talk, to ask him about what he'd said to Teddy, but decided to let him lead. He obviously had a lot on his mind, and she wanted to honor that.

"Ready for a break?" he asked, after a steep decline that left her feeling a bit out of shape.

"Sure," she said, following him out into the field to their left. He settled under the shade of a few trees, so she joined him. It really was a lovely day for a hike— only a few fluffy clouds dotted the sky. "You're right, this is a very nice trail. Very quiet."

He nodded, and opened the basket to see what she had packed. They ate in silence for a few minutes, while he wolfed down half of his sandwich.

"Y'know, when you first said you made such a great sandwich, I was very skeptical," he said. "But that really hit the spot."

She smiled, grateful at the ability to provide a small comfort to someone she liked so much.

"So what did you think of Teddy's question?"

She groaned. "That was not how I imagined us first having that conversation."

He laughed, and it put her a bit at ease. "That's for sure," he said. "But now that the can of worms has been opened…"

She pulled her knees to her chest, hugging her aching legs. "I like you a lot, Harry. But marriage… isn't even on my radar yet. It just… seems so far from where we are right now. Could I see it happening someday? Sure. But, honestly, a healthy and stable relationship is worth far more to me than a piece of paper."

He nodded, taking in everything she was saying, as he picked a few crisps out of the bag. She noticed they were the folded over, extra crunchy ones, and smiled at how particular he could be.

"How do you feel about it?" she asked, hoping that he wasn't in major disagreement with her answer. "I mean, you've done it before."

"Marriage was very important to me then," he said. "The war really messed us up. Losing so many people really left a lasting imprint on me, and I wanted to …hold on to everything that was dear to me. I felt like amidst everything that was fleeting, I wanted something I thought I would be able to return to no matter what happened."

As she chewed her sandwich, truly one of her best, she mulled over his words. Although he was so far removed from his marriage to Ginny, and if they had never split up, she wouldn't have been so close to him, she was sad he had been through the loss of that. It was never easy to lose a relationship you considered forever. "What happened?"

"As we gained distance from the war, we began to grow apart," he said. "We were unhappy with each other, but we tried to ignore it and hope it was just a period of growing pains. For the last season we were together, she extended her traveling with the team… was home maybe three days a week most of the summer. I started working more, trying to distract myself from the loneliness. I hoped that maybe once the season was over, we could work on things and come away stronger…"

She watched him intently, as he spoke about one of the few things he had kept very guarded from her. "Once October rolled around, and the season was over, we sat down and discussed what we both wanted. I knew… going into it, that we probably wanted different things, but I owed it to my wife to try and work through it together.

"Our tipping point was when I brought up starting a family. I knew I didn't want to have kids when our relationship was in a rocky place, but I was feeling the urge and if we were in it for the long haul, I wanted to make strides towards a place I would feel comfortable considering adding kids to the mix. But she didn't feel as strongly about it as I did, and didn't want to even consider it for… well, years."

"That's a deal breaker," she said, and began to worry about her own, well, undecided stance on having kids.

"Yeah," he said, picking at something in the grass.

"Is that still something you want?'

He nodded. "With less urgency."

"Oh?"

"At the time, I wasn't as active in Teddy's life as I am now. He was a huge comfort in my life as I adjusted to life by myself again."

"I can see that," she said, smiling. He looked up and smiled at her, knowing she knew exactly what he meant. "Ames felt very strongly that he didn't want to have children."

He nodded. "You were okay with that?"

"Well, yeah," she said. "For a couple of reasons. I didn't feel strongly enough for it to be a deal breaker, and I would never try and convince someone with such strong convictions that they were wrong."

"That's fair."

"And after my childhood, and my relationship with my mother… I honestly wasn't sure I have what it takes to be a good parent."

"I think you're underestimating yourself," he said. "Look at how perfectly you handled Teddy that night I got stuck at work."

"What choice did I have?" she said. "I just did what had to be done. Really nothing exceptional."

He shrugged. "I was impressed."

"Thanks," she said, reaching out for his hand to hold. He laced his fingers tightly between hers, before squeezing his hand tight.

"I think seeing our relationship has been really positive for Teddy," he said. "It's good for him to see healthy relationships."

"I definitely would've been better off if I knew what that looked like when I was younger," she said. "Is it hard to see Ron and Hermione starting a family?"

"Perhaps for a moment... at first," he said. "But now? Not at all. I'm really happy for them. I can't wait to be an uncle."

"That kid's going to be spoiled rotten."

"Absolutely." She leaned in to him, and he wrapped his arm around her, nuzzling his face into her hair. "Y'know, I'm not certain you ever answered your own question."

He considered it for a second. "I think you're right."

"I would like to get married again, some day. I think I've learned a lot since I got married to Ginny, and I think I'm better prepared for it this time," he said. "And I could see us getting married, I think we have a really nice thing here, Liv. But you're right… it's really far from where we are right now. Right now, I'm just enjoying every moment I get to know you a little better."

She leaned in and kissed him, grateful for his gentle touch, his kindness, and how much he cared about her. They sat under the tree for awhile, tucked in with each other, just enjoying the fine company on a beautiful day. The silence was content.

"I think it's time for you to talk to Holly," he said.

She sighed.

"I know," he said, running his fingers through her hair. "I'm not her biggest fan, but if she was your friend for so long, I think you at least owe her the chance for a conversation. I'm not saying you even have to forgive her. But you should listen to her."

"I know you're right," she said.

"Ron and I rowed after Ginny and I split," he said. "We didn't talk for a month, which doesn't seem like a long time now, but at the time it felt like forever. The hardest part was the first conversation we had afterwards. Once we were in the same place, and admitted we had both been pricks… everything got a shade easier."

She nodded, and began to consider the best way to go about it. She didn't want to do it at work… although she had an office to herself, if things really didn't go well, it would make for a pretty awful day.

"I would recommend a neutral location," he said. "Go get tea or a drink. Hell, go to the Leaky Cauldron."

"A drink may make that a bit easier," she said.

"I mean, of course she's welcome at the house, but I think somewhere that doesn't belong to either of you would be for the best."

She nodded. "I'll do it this week."

They spent a few more minutes enjoying the sunshine, before he got up and stretched. He collected what remained of their picnic and tucked it in the picnic basket, before reaching down for her hand to help her up.

"What do you say we head home?" He asked. "I've got the hankering for something sweet."

"After you, love."

She'd spent all morning thinking. After she'd brushed Holly off _so_ many times, how could she possibly approach her? She worried she'd let things go on too long, that she'd been too stubborn, that everything was irreparable and this was a useless endeavor.

In an effort to try to get Holly to approach her, Liv made two idle passes through the cubicles, making certain to pass by her both times. And everytime Liv was in her vicinity, Holly's eyes immediately sunk into whatever was in front of her.

This didn't bode well with her and left Liv in her office stewing for most of the morning. She opened up her worn leather wallet, and took out two photos she'd never stopped carrying: Holly and Liv on the day of their Hogwarts graduation. They looked like babies, but glee was all over their faces. The other was on Holly and Cian's wedding day, a photo of just the two of them smiling as Liv straightened out the train of Holly's dress. Even when she'd removed all traces of Ames from her wallet, she left these photos. There was inevitable pain separating them from reconciliation, but Liv finally felt ready to confront that.

Eventually, she decided she didn't have enough time in the day to stew properly, not with the work piling up in front of her, so she poured herself a fresh cup of coffee, and got to work.

Trainee Aisling had just given a presentation on the best practices when camping in the woods, focusing on to leave as little of an imprint as possible and how to maintain cover. She clicked through to the final slide. "This concludes my presentation on Best Practices in the Wilderness. Does anyone have any questions?"

Harry's team, mostly composed of freshly appointed Aurors, a few sophomores, and then a handful of more seasoned Aurors, sat around the conference room. No one raised their hand, so Aisling took her seat at the table.

"Excellent work, Aisling, I think that's information we'd all be wise to remember next time we find ourselves assigned to the field. On Wednesday, we'll hear from Casivi for a refresher on common poisons and antidotes, but for now, I think we can adjourn this meeting and get some lunch, yeah?"

The team murmured in agreement, and most of them packed up rather quickly. He turned to Evanson, who was moving towards the door. "Evanson, a word?"

Her eyes went wide, her head tilted. After the last junior Auror departed, Holly shut the door, and leaned against the conference table her boss sat at, facing him. "How have I upset her now?"

"You haven't," he said. "I would go see her in an office when you get a chance."

Holly's eyes narrowed, trying to discern more information from Harry's face, which was frustratingly neutral.

"I don't think you'll regret it," he said.

"Got it, boss," she said. "I… will get on that."

She brought the mug of coffee to her mouth, finishing off her second- maybe third, she'd lost track, cup of coffee. And all before lunch.

"Potter said you wanted to see me?"

She looked up to see Holly standing in her doorway, "Oh, yeah. Uh... come in."

Holly closed the door quietly behind her, then took a seat in front of her desk. "So...?"

"I... uh," Liv cleared her throat as she tugged at the hair on her neck. Perhaps he'd seen her pace the office and this was his solution to her waiting for Holly to approach her. "Do you think you'd have time one night this week to get a drink with me and... talk about things?"

Holly's face lit up. "Oh, thank you, Liv. Thank you. I need to talk to Cian to see what night he can pick the baby up but I will absolutely figure something out."

"Okay," she said, trying to force her tense lips into something resembling a smile. "Just... let me know."

"I can come to your place, one night after work," she said, then lowered her voice. "You're staying with Potter, right?"

"Yeah, I'm living there, but... let's meet somewhere else, okay? I think I owe you a drink."

Holly looked hesitant for a moment, before swallowing and nodding. "Whatever you say, Liv."

"Just, let me know."

Holly nodded, smiling, before heading back to her desk.

The office was mostly empty, and she had a nervous energy in her stomach as she knew what she needed to do. She packed up her work bag, and stood in the doorway of her office for a moment. She could only see about five people working away in the mass of cubicles in the center of the room. Across from her office, but closer to the door, she saw the light was still on in Harry's office.

She walked towards it, hoping he would know exactly what to say to make everything a little bit easier. He usually did.

He looked up at her as she entered his office, and closed the door behind her. "Hey."

"Hey, stranger," he said, a smile on his lips. "Feel like I've hardly seen you today."

"I know," she said. "I've been putting out fires left and right."

"Oh, I'm sure. You off to see Holly?"

She nodded, picking at the fraying hem of her work bag.

"You look nervous," he said, standing up. "Do you want me to walk you there?"

"Are you done here?"

He considered what was on his desk. "It's nothing I can't finish at home. Give me two minutes to pack up, I'll meet you in the Atrium, okay?"

She opened the door to his office. "Have a good night, Potter."

"You too, Wellwood."

At street level, the August air was sticky against their skin, but they held hands anyways as they dodged through all the other commuters. The walk to Diagon Alley wasn't that long, nor unfamiliar.

"It's going to be fine," he said. "Just listen to what she has to say, and say your own piece when you're ready."

"You make it sound awful easy."

"It's not as hard as you think," he said. "Just stay calm. Take deep breaths if you have to. And then you can come home, and I'll be there, and we have three pints of ice cream in the freezer and an open bottle of your favorite Riesling..."

She smiled. "Okay."

"We're just about there," he said, as they rounded the corner on to the street. "You going to be okay?"

She nodded, and looked up to see Holly was waiting for her outside.

"I think I've got it from here," she said, accepting a kiss from him before he let her walk towards her friend, who had looked up to see them.

When she was about a stride away, Holly asked "Does he follow you everywhere?"

"Everywhere I ask him to," she admitted. "It's not far from the walk home anyways."

Liv lead her inside, and was pleased to see it was it was not very busy. Neville was tending the bar, and caught her coming inside. "Liv, it's great to see you."

Neville was a truly friendly guy, and Liv liked him. He greeted her so warmly and made her feel at ease, despite the tension between her shoulders. "How is everything, Neville?"

"No complaints here. Glass of moscato?"

She couldn't help but smile at him. "That sounds excellent."

She sat at the bar for a moment, as he poured her drink. Holly looked skeptical, before taking a seat next to her. Liv decided they would get their drinks at the bar, but when it came time to actually… discuss things, they would move to a booth, for more privacy.

"Evanson, right?"

"Yes…?" Holly said, reluctantly. "Do I know you?"

"You were in the first Herbology class I assisted with, I think. The second year after the war?"

"Oh, yeah. I… it's been awhile, sorry," she said.

"What can I get you to drink?"

"Just a glass of butter beer," she said. "Do you have ginger, by any chance?"

"Of course," he said, and set to work grating a bit of ginger over her drink on the other side of the bar.

"Come here often?" Holly asked quietly, her blue eyes wandering around the bar to take it all in.

"A few times," she said. "I quite like it."

"Harry joining you tonight?" Neville asked, setting down the glass in front of Holly.

"Oh, no," Liv replied. "He's up to his ears in work at the moment. Just out for a drink with a friend."

"Well, tell him I said hello, okay?"

"Of course, Neville," she said. She pulled her wallet out from her work bag, and unzipped it. "How much do I owe you?"

"It's on me," he said.

"No," she said. "You always let Harry pay."

"Because if I don't, a handful of galleons find their way into my till and throw me off all week. Drives Hannah mad."

"Don't think he won't teach me that trick," she said, pointing at him.

"I wouldn't for a second," he said. "Wait—"

"Yes?"

"You can help me with one thing," he said, and at the insistence of her nodding, leaned forward. "Is Hermione expecting?"

"Oh, yeah," she said, with a laugh. "She's due in February."

"Oh, thanks heavens," he said. "I saw them last week and thought I might have stuck my foot in my mouth. It wouldn't be the first time."

She smiled. "I think you're just fine," she said. "We're going to go take a booth, but I'll let you know if we need anything."

**Author's Note: Happy Monday, folks! Hope you're all enjoying your weeks. Here's todays chapter. Let me know what you think! Thanks to my beta, potter-reading-coastie for all his help with this story. **


	24. Chapter 24

Liv guided Holly to one of the booths in the back of the restaurant, where there were only about two other people sitting. She watched the older folks, as they finished up their dinner. Liv decided it was as good a place as any to sit down.

"What other perks come with dating him?" Holly asked, and only minimally tried to hide her displeasure with the interaction she had just witnessed.

"That is the first, and hopefully, only time that has ever happened," Liv said, slowly. "Very few people know, and that's how I would like to keep it."

"I didn't tell anyone," Holly said, then put her drink down mid-sip. "Well. I told Cian. But that's it."

There was a brief flash of the Holly that Liv had been friends with for so long, that was fun loving and loyal and present. It was, after all, the reason that she had met with her. Liv hoped, that somehow, they could regain some version of friendship. It probably wouldn't look like it did before. But maybe… maybe they could meet somewhere in the middle.

"You've changed so much," Holly said. "Witnessing that interaction with… whatever his name was, I feel like I don't even know who you are. You're dating this… practical celebrity and living with him? And Marina said she saw you hanging out with a kid down here? Like, what? Who? The Liv I thought I knew so well was heads over heels for Ames and turned her nose up at the thought of children and never would've schmoozed with some random bar keeper."

"He's a friend of Harry's from their Hogwarts days," she explained. "And… slowly, his friends are becoming my friends. Sort of. We're… working on it."

Holly spent a long time considering what Liv said, while she traced at the wood grain on the table with her fingernail.

"And yeah, I know a lot has changed since the last time we really talked… but I'm a hell of a lot happier now. Things with Ames… they were so awful at the end, Holly. I don't even have words. I was so miserable, I'm still processing it all. He'd always been a heavy drinker, you knew that about him, and for most of the time we were together, he had a pretty good grip on that. But the last few months… it was so out of control. He got drunk and he got mean. I was sick of having to learn spells to heal bruises and swelling."

Across from her, the girl she once thought of as a sister, couldn't look up to meet her eyes. So Liv decided, it was now or never, that she needed to give Holly all of the context.

"We had blown up… for the second time, after Seamus Finnegan's wedding. I had to leave after he'd "accidentally" socked me in the face after he got so shit faced he threw up. In public. I told him I was done," she said. "And he promised, he promised he would get help. That he didn't want to compromise us. That I meant something to him and he wanted to fight for us."

She felt her chest tighten, and tears begged at her eyes. She swallowed, trying to resist the tightness as best as she could. After a deep breath, she continued.

"Things got better… for a moment. I thought I finally had my boyfriend back. Until he started drinking again, and tried to force himself on me, and wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Oh my god," Holly said, finally looking at Liv, fresh tears in her eyes. That almost undid all of Liv's restraint, but somehow she managed to keep herself together.

"I managed to get out of there, with nothing but the clothing on my back. The only person I thought I could go to was Harry."

"You could've come to my house," Holly said, the tears finally spilling over. "I don't care that we hadn't talked in ages, I would've helped you, I'm _so_ sorry I ever made you feel like you couldn't come to me."

"I didn't feel like that was an option at the time," she said. "I showed up at his doorstep, in the midst of him entertaining friends, and he sent them home to take care of me. He made sure I was okay, and helped me get my belongings, and got me back up on my feet."

Liv took a deep breath, holding back the sob that was waiting in the back of her throat. "I don't know what you've been through, and I'm sure you had a lot on your plate… with the baby, and stuff… and I know I probably didn't do right by you, with not being willing to talk to you for so long… but damn. That was the hardest few months of my life. So if I was a little closed off, well…"

Holly stood up, and Liv knew what she wanted, so she stood up and gave her the hug she wanted. Holly, a good five inches shorter than her, hugged her like she was afraid she would float away.

"I'm so sorry," she said.

"I'm sorry too."

Holly's face was red and blotchy, and by some miracle, Liv was barely holding it together. Barely, but that single thread of composure made all the difference. Liv pulled napkins out of the dispenser and handed them to her.

"C'mon, Hol. Pull yourself together," she said. "It's okay. We're going to y'know… figure out how to be friends again. Okay?"

Holly nodded, though she wiped the condensation off her glass with the napkin before dabbing the cloth to her face. Liv would've been a touch more embarrassed if there was anyone around, but somehow they had been left completely alone. A minor miracle.

Liv reached out and rubbed Holly's shoulder as she worked herself down from her tears.

"Before I had Xavi," Holly said, "I thought I would be different than all the other moms I've seen who've given up everything to tend to their baby. I didn't do a very good job."

"It's okay," Liv said. "It's in the past, okay?"

Although she still felt anger towards Holly… deep down, she just wanted her friend back. They had simultaneously been through the hardest periods of their lives, and let their friendship fall by the wayside.

She nodded.

"How is... Xavier?"

That seemed to help Holly settle down, and she almost started to smile. "He's wonderful, Liv. I can't even put into words what a great experience it is... especially now that he's mostly sleeping through the night."

"I'm so glad to hear that."

"We don't have to talk about him, though," she said. "I know that kids... and you..."

"I always wanted to be with Ames more than I wanted to even consider having kids," Liv said. "I'm... considering it. Not now, of course. But maybe someday... so if you want to talk about him..."

Holly smiled, and continued to babble away about how he was sitting up and rolling over and cooing and breaking teeth. Truthfully? She didn't care all that much. But she cared that Holly was happy. And it was good practice.

"Tell me about the boy Marina saw you with. Who is he? Does Harry really have all those kids like your tabloids say?"

She snorted into her wine. "Of course not."

She shrugged. "He's an enigma."

Liv couldn't help but laugh. "That's the absolute last word I would use to describe him."

"So tell me about him."

"He's very plain," she said. "He drinks a lot of coffee and not a lot of alcohol. He's a pretty good cook. We go hiking nearly every weekend. His friends are very dear to him… and he's so incredibly kind to me. I couldn't ask for anything more."

"He walks around the department with a stick up his arse."

"He's very particular," she explained. "And he's been taken advantage of a lot by people wanting to be close to him because of who he is. He's protective of himself."

"And of you," she said.

Liv shrugged. "But that's his godson, Teddy. He's... just the sweetest kid. He's off to school next month and I'm already dreading saying goodbye."

"Why were you buying books with him?" She asked. "New books? Lord, do you know what those cost?"

"Actually, I do. And good god, Marina needs a hobby other than gossiping," Liv said. "That was the weekend you were all in the forest tracking whatever the hell that was, so I kept Teddy at the house and we ate pizza and played chess and took care of some school errands."

"I think I might like who this bloke is shaping you to be," Holly said, earnestly assessing her friend's newer qualities.

Liv nodded, knowing that was as much approval as she was likely to get. For now, at least.

The finished their drinks, as the night was winding down. Liv was getting tired, and Holly did need to go home to the baby.

"What do you think a good tip is?" Liv asked, opening her wallet.

"All of it," she said, laughing.

She took the three galleons in her wallet and stacked them on the table. "Shall we call it a night?"

"Only if we can do this again soon," Holly said. "But maybe at your house because I want to see where you live."

"You're just being nosy," Liv teased.

She shrugged as she collected her belongings and they walked together towards the exit.

"He inherited the house from his godfather... it's nothing special. But sure, if you really want to see it… next time."

Liv picked up her bag and decided it was time to head out. After two glasses of wine, she was ever so slightly buzzed, and wanted to go home.

"Good night, Neville," Liv called.

"If there's any money on that table, I'm going to be very annoyed."

"Nope, no money," Holly called. "Promise."

They made the exit back onto the London streets laughing to themselves.

Holly crushed her in another hug, one Liv wasn't entirely sure she'd ever get out of. But eventually she eased up, and Liv removed herself.

"You're okay to walk home?" Holly asked.

"Absolutely," she said. "It's... maybe ten minutes. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you again, Liv."

Liv nodded eagerly, before turning and heading in the direction of home.

"Hello," she called, when she came home and saw there was no sign of life on the first floor. She quickly grabbed the pint of Rocky Road ice cream out of the freezer, then kicked off her boots before climbing the stairs.

"I'm in the office," he yelled, and she could tell he was on the third floor- the same floor they slept on. She knew there was an office, but in all the time she'd lived here had never been in it. They normally worked together on the couch downstairs.

"Hey," she said, opening the partially shut door. The office was very dark, the emerald green wallpaper absorbed all the candlelight.

He sat at a wood desk, which hugged the corner of the room. There was an old, worn looking leather couch next to it, where she took a seat.

"I've never seen you working in here before," she commented, stretching out her legs.

"I used to... before you moved in. I forgot why I'd been enjoying the couch more, but my eyes are reminding me," he said, flicking on the gas lamp. It hissed before allowing slightly more light in the room. "How'd it go? You're in one piece."

"You were right," she said. "It was good... really, really good. We got a lot of talking done and I think we're in a better place."

He smiled, before taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "I'm very glad to hear that, Liv," he said.

She nodded, diving into the ice cream, one large spoonful at a time. "Neville's such a sweetheart. Wouldn't let me pay for anything... I mean, I put a big tip on the table before we left, but that's so..."

"He used to do the same thing to me," he said, not looking up from his work. "I'll show you how to get around it the next time we go."

"Thanks," she said.

"Hey, I've been meaning to show you this," he said, handing her a stack of mail. Well, it seemed it was just one piece of mail originally, with a million pieces.

"What is it?" She asked, examining it.

"Every year, the Prophet throws this fundraiser... party, thing," he said.

"_Thirty under Thirty_?" she asked.

"Yeah, I am perennially nominated, despite having sunk into complete normalcy for the past twelve years," he said. "The cause is good, and I owe a lifetime of favors to one of the people who organizes it."

"I'm certain there's a story there," she said, looking up at him.

He shrugged. "Ever notice how the Prophet never publishes anything too malicious about me?"

"Well, it's not exactly where I go when I want to know what woman you're having a baby with this week."

He chuckled. "Precisely. About four years ago, I fell into good favor with this woman— Pia, that works at the Prophet, she makes sure I stay out of the papers, I make sure to attend an event or two a year… it all works out."

She looked suspiciously at him for a moment, wondering if "fell into good favor" meant "fell into bed with", but decided not to press it at the moment.

"This is one of the better events," he said. "It raises money for children orphaned in the War. Like Teddy."

"I see that," she said, reading the brochure.

"Anyways, it's the last year I can be nominated," he said, scratching on the parchment in front of him with his quill.

"Can we even go to an event like this?" she questioned "Together, I mean?"

"They don't take photos past the entrance," he said. "So as long as we walk in separately, it shouldn't be an issue."

She considered it, for a moment. She wanted— needed, truly— to keep this relationship out of the papers. At least until Kensington returned to work. She would never be taken seriously enough for her liking if it leaked before then. And all of the sneaking around… all of the nonsense, it needed to be worth _something_.

"If you don't want to go, that's fine."

"I didn't say that," Liv said, after a moment of careful consideration.

"I can see it on your face."

She looked up at him, trying to convey how drained she was from a long day of work and an emotional conversation with Holly. She was sure, in the morning, that going out to some fancy gala that she got to attend with her boyfriend would not be the daunting task it felt like right now. "I'm just tired, I'm sorry."

He took his glasses off, rubbing at his eyes. She was sure he was weary and the darkness of the room wasn't helping. After he placed them back on his nose, he got up and moved next to her on the couch.

"It's not my first choice, either, Liv," he said. "I'd love to walk in there with you on my arm, but our reality isn't there quite yet. I promise the next event we go to will be one where we can be seen together unconditionally, but this one snuck up on me and the timing isn't right."

"I know," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Believe me, I know."

"I still think we can turn it into quite the nice night," he said. "They always give me seven extra tickets so i can fill my table with people I'll enjoy the night with."

"Who have you invited?"

"Well, I'd love to bring you. And in the past, Ron and Hermione—"

"Of course."

"The last few years, Hannah and Neville have come, provided they can find someone to cover the bar."

"Sure."

"I have two extra tickets this year," he said. "If Holly and her husband would like to join us."

"I'm sure they can't join us," she said. "The baby, and all."

He nodded. "That's fine. I don't think there's anyone else I'd like to invite, so if they can make it, great, if not… well, that's fine too."

"I will… ask her tomorrow, I guess."

"Great," he said. "I think it's going to be a good night."

She looked up at him, trying to read his face. She convinced herself the smile was genuine, and leaned in to rest her head against him. "Alright."

**Author's Note: I am so, sincerely sorry for the delay in getting chapters up on schedule. Not to fear—they are all written! I've just been a little under the weather as I deal with some really challenging depression. I'm very touched by the folks that have reached out and encouraged me, so thank you very much. Your kindness means the whole world to me and has truly kept me going. Regular updates will resume tomorrow with the usual Monday—though there will be an extra special message in the author's note that I hope you will all read. Thanks as always to my wonderful beta reader, potter-reading-coastie. **


	25. Chapter 25

She had taken a quick break with Holly, and gone up to the cafeteria to get breakfast. Working her way through the stack of work covering her desk, she needed some fuel. A coffee and breakfast sandwich seemed like a good place to start.

"Are you busy Saturday?" Liv asked, trying to remain nonchalant.

"I believe Xavier has plans to puke on me in the afternoon," she said, waiting for her own breakfast. _Two egg whites, turkey bacon, and low fat swiss on a multigrain roll. _The same sandwich she'd been ordering for years. "Why?"

"He's got this… dinner gala… thing," she said. "I dunno, some nonsense, but we've got extra tickets and I thought I'd see if you and Cian might be interested in joining us."

Holly's eyes lit up. "An opportunity outside of work to put on a real bra and make intelligent conversation with adults?"

"I suppose that's one way you could look at it," she said, blinking at her friend's interpretation of the event.

"Absolutely, we're in."

"You don't need to… find a babysitter?"

"Cian's mum's been begging for ages to watch him," she said. "I'll make it work."

One of the cooks slid Liv's sandwich towards her, and she picked it up, balancing it with her wallet and the largest latte she could find. "Yeah?"

"Oh, can we meet you at your place so I can see where you're living?"

Liv considered it, and it didn't seem like the worst idea. "Yeah, sure, I don't see why not. Start off at home and have a drink before we head there."

Holly dropped her voice to just above a whisper. "Does this mean you're going to be seen in public with him? Where there's… cameras, and stuff?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "No. He's assured me there will only be photography at the entrance and that 'as long as we walk in separately—"

"That's some bullshit."

Liv shrugged. "It's fine. It's what we have to do."

"Are you planning on living the rest of your lives like that?" Holly asked, not holding back any of her disdain.

"No," she explained. "Not that I want anyone watching me when I'm shopping or eating out, but no… once Kensington is back, we'll figure out how to proceed."

Holly nodded. "Oh, I can't wait for Saturday."

Liv felt a little better, as they walked back to their department. Having Holly and Cian there with her meant a little reinforcement, and she looked forward to showing them where she lived. Her renewed friendship with Holly felt so right.

—

"Holly and Cian are in," Liv said, as she walked into the kitchen after getting home from work. Harry stood at the stove, stirring something that smelled outrageously delicious. She'd been caught up in a team meeting that kept her at work an hour later than normal.

"That's wonderful," he said. He poured her a glass of wine, and set it down in front of her as she slumped into a chair at the table. She took her planner out of her work bag and started making notes in it.

"Yeah, she's pretty excited," Liv mentioned, crossing off things on her to do list, before adding about eight new tasks. "I hope it's alright, they're going to meet us here a bit before we need to go. I figured we could have a drink with them, or something… everyone else already knows each other."

"That's a great idea," he said. He plated the risotto, then placed it in front of her. "Why not invite everyone over for drinks?"

The idea of entertaining people was foreign. When she was with Ames, they always got _invites_ to these sort of things, but were never the ones hosting it. She considered their wine situation, and made a note she'd have to pick up a few more bottles before Saturday. "That could be nice."

"What are you going to wear?"

"I haven't even thought that far ahead," she said. "I don't have time to go get anything fitted, but I'm certain I can find something in my wardrobe."

A few minutes passed in silence as they demolished their dinners. She realized, as she worked on her agenda, that she hadn't had anything to eat since the breakfast she'd gotten with Holly, and made a mental note to pack a better assortment of food tomorrow.

"I wanted to tell you about Pia," he said, quietly, tentatively, as he distracted Liv from her work.

"Who—oh, the woman at the Prophet?"

"I could tell that you were a little…" he searched for the right word.

She decided to relieve him of his misery. "Thrown off?"

"Sure," he said. "By my mentioning her yesterday."

"A bit," she murmured, shoveling the last bite of food from her plate into her mouth. She used the last of her wine to wash the food down, before he refilled it without asking. "Did you date her?"

He shook his head. "No, we never dated… but we did sleep together a few times over the years."

She winced slightly, but then nodded. "Alright."

At first thought, she didn't know why it had bothered her so much. He obviously hadn't been with her since the day she showed up at his door in tears. She trusted him deeply, but there simply wasn't a block of time he was unaccounted for.

"Not… in a while, obviously," he said. "A few months."

"You were with her the night before we solved that case!" Liv said, her brain spinning. "I'm guessing, since you, y'know, showed up with wet hair and one sock and poorly covered up hickeys. Unless there are other women."

He found Liv's attention to detail both enamoring and damning. Of course she would not forget things like that.

"I thought you said you'd owed her a favor years ago?" she asked, setting down her wine glass and leaning in to get a good look at him.

"I met her years ago... we've occasionally met each other, off and on... she was dating some bloke, then I purposefully wasn't seeing anyone, it's been a rare occurrence but I wanted to be transparent."

She nodded, appreciative.

"I haven't even spoken with her in awhile. Not since… at least that night we went for drinks at Leaky and you had to come back here to sober up," he said. "That was when I… realized I had feelings for you."

She looked down, the piercing, anxious tension in her chest beginning to dissipate. "You knew then?"

He nodded. "I had a hunch. It only grew from there," he said. "The next day when we danced together at Finnegan's wedding… well, that sort of sealed the deal."

She smiled, and reached out for his hand. "I was still in denial things with Ames were… the way they were then," she said. "But I would be lying if I didn't say I had some… thoughts. The kindness with which you were treating me certainly helped pry open my doubt."

He helped her wash the dishes and get the kitchen in order. "We're going to spend Sunday with Ted."

"Oh, good," she said. "Any plans?"

"Thought maybe we could go on a hike, pack a lunch. It's probably the second to last time we'll see him before he goes off to school."

She groaned. "Does he _have_ to go?"

He laughed. "Yes, Liv. Absolutely."

"I know he has to," she said. "It's just going to be awful saying goodbye."

"I know, love," he said. "But it's going to be so wonderful for him. He'll write us, and the first goodbye's always the hardest."

—

Saturday morning, she was up early, before the sun, even. She wanted the whole house to be spotless before company came. With a bucket of bleach, and an old toothbrush, she scrubbed at all of the grout in the kitchen, removing ages of junk and restoring it to its original white color.

"What in the world are you doing?" Harry asked, when he came downstairs around ten.

"I want the house to look perfect," she explained.

He laughed. "You're a nutter."

He went to the stove to turn on the kettle to make coffee. "No one cares at all what the place looks like."

"Holly will."

"Have you seen her desk?" He asked, pouring the steaming water over the ground dark roast coffee. "It's like a cyclone hit it. It's started spilling over to the spare desk next to hers."

"Eh," she said.

"What else needs to be done?" He asked, as he poured them cups of coffee.

She rattled off her to do list, and he set out to help her. Despite thinking she was absolutely mad, he wanted to take some stress off her. He worked on the small patio right outside the greenhouse, just off the kitchen, clearing it of the overgrown vines.

"I think your tomatoes are ripe," he said, balancing five large red tomatoes into the kitchen.

"Oh, wonderful," she said. Despite planting six tomato plants in May, all she had to show for it was a measly handful of tomatoes. "Maybe I'll make a caprese salad to snack on."

"That sounds delicious," he said. "Are you done cleaning?"

She peeked into the living room, and the hallway, and surveyed the kitchen one more time. "Sure."

"Okay, go get dressed. Let's go to the farmer's market."

She shrugged, and headed upstairs to throw on a pair of jeans and a real shirt. She could probably get fresh basil at the market, and they still needed to grab more wine- and maybe some sparkling cider for Hermione. A glance at the clock told her there was still five hours before anyone would be there, which left her plenty of time to get ready and decide what exactly she was wearing.

They walked towards the park where the market set up on Saturday morning. She waited in line at the cheesemonger and the vegetable stall, while Harry grabbed them a snack. He joined her while she was picking out a ball of fresh made mozzarella, waiting until she had paid for it to hand her a pan au chocolat and a latte. She placed her goods in the basket balanced in the crook of her arm, and they took a seat on the park green.

Around them, Muggles went about their Saturday morning in all the usual fashions. Next to them, a small family with a young daughter enjoyed a lunch of sandwiches from one of the stalls. Across the green, two men threw a frisbee for a dog to catch— and he was pretty good at it, too.

"I think it's going to be an excellent time," he said, in between bites of his almond croissant.

"It should be," she replied, crossing off their shopping list.

"Did you decide what you're wearing?" He asked. "So I can coordinate-"

"But you can't," she said. "We don't want to look too... together."

"Right," he said, looking down as he tipped back the rest of his coffee.

She didn't really have anything to add, though she hoped Holly wouldn't bring it up again. It was the lone sour note on their hopefully enjoyable evening.

"Other than that, though... can't wait." She thought she did an okay job of hiding the waiver of confidence in her voice.

"Once Kensington is back..." he said.

"Of course."

"Not that we need to announce it to all our employees... but changes will need to be made. Holly will have to report to someone else. We probably should work on less cases together."

Liv nodded. Having a quasi-plan grounded her a bit, and made her feel like he was true to his word, not that she had any reason to doubt him. The next time they went out like they would tonight, she would get to walk in with him, take photos with him, and spend their time together authentically.

She crumpled up the wax paper that he had handed her the pastry in. "We need more wine."

"Absolutely," he said, giving her a hand to get up. "I know the perfect place."

—

She took a long and luxurious shower, where she shaved every shaveable bit. Her hair soaked in a moisturizing hair mask, and her face got the exfoliating mask she saved for only the best occasions.

While she was waiting for her hair to dry, she spent time in the kitchen, slicing up her tomatoes in perfect rounds, layering them between slices of mozzarella and pieces of basil leaf. The wine chilled in the fridge, except for the lone bottle of red she had picked up for Cian- strange man.

"That's a good look," Harry said, coming up behind her while she wrapped the platter of caprese with cling film. He wrapped his arms around her hips, pulling her close to him.

"Mmm," she said, as he began to kiss and nibble at her neck. The platter made a loud clang as it fell an inch or two to the counter. He relaxed his grip on her, allowing her to turn around to face him.

He ran his fingers through her hair, lightly pulling at the roots until she gasped. He had figured out the precise ways to turn her on like a dial, and took advantage of that whenever he could. She had never been in such a sexually fulfilling relationship.

"I want you," she whimpered, as he cupped her breasts over her silky robe.

"In time..." he teased, his hand slipping beneath her robe to tease her nipples. She pressed her body against him, consumed by her desire for more of him.

"Now," she pleaded.

"Patience, love," he said, a devilish smile on his lips. She looked up at him, his green eyes playful and full of lust. His desire for her excited her, and she felt goosebumps forming on her bare skin. "I want to do this right."

"I don't care about right," she murmured, and was surprised when he seized her body, bending her over the counter. He unzipped his jeans, pressing his erection against her. "I care about right **now**."

"This what you want?" He asked, as she shifted herself against him. He was forceful but not in an uncontrolled manner. "You want me to take you right here in the kitchen?"

"Oh, god, yes," she said, knowing she was moments away from getting exactly what she wanted. For a moment, she thought he was merely teasing her, and was going to drag it out further. But lust overcame him, and he lined himself up.

His content sigh as he entered her was the most satisfying noise to her. For a moment, her body was overwhelmed by the sensation of him thrusting into her, but eventually it gave way to a host of delight as she matched his rhythm. She was noisy- she couldn't help it, as she moaned with each thrust.

"Do you like that?" He asked, using her hair as leverage to pull her face close to his.

"It's everything I wanted," she murmured.

She could feel his cheeks turn up in a smile as he heard her answer. "You feel so good."

He picked up speed, and she knew he was getting close. Her favorite part of sex with him was when he finished in her. Ames refused to, out of concern of getting her pregnant, and Liv hadn't realized how enjoyable it was.

She slowed her own backward thrusts as he gained momentum, afraid to throw off his rhythm. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, and she could feel him spasming inside her as he came.

For a moment, they relaxed, bodies pressed together with sweat, as they caught their breath. He smoothed her hair, gently, his touch returning to loving.

"I love you, beautiful girl," he said, kissing her cheek.

She smiled. "I love you too."

"I think we should clean the counters again," he whispered.

"It was worth it."

She had finished her makeup, but yet to take her hair out of curlers, when she heard the familiar chime that meant someone had come through their wards.

"Who is it?" She asked, leaning down over the bannister.

"Holly and Cian!" Holly called. "Where are you?"

"I'll be right down," she said, tying her dressing gown tighter around waist. If it was anyone else, she would have changed first, but she didn't care much about them.

Harry had come in from where he'd been out on the patio, setting out the food, and they all met in the hallway near the kitchen.

"Oh, Liv, you look great."

"She's not even dressed yet, Cian."

"I meant she looks much happier than the last time I saw her brooding around the ministry," Cian explained. Liv greeted them both with a hug, and introduced Cian to Harry.

"C'mon, I'll get you a drink and show you the patio," he said, guiding him outside.

Holly looked around, judging the place. She stuck her head in the living room, and nodded. "It's cozy. And not what I expected."

"Let's go upstairs so I can finish getting ready," Liv said, leading her up the first set of stairs. "This is the second floor... Teddy's room is over there, then there's a couple of spare rooms..."

They walked up to the floor Harry and Liv shared. "Our bedroom..."

Holly peaked inside. "That's more in line with what I was expecting."

"What do you mean?"

"Very modern," she said. "Look at the marble in the bathroom! And the claw foot tub!"

"It's everything I ever dreamed of," Liv swooned, before guiding Holly into her room. The wardrobe had spilled out, with a few dresses laying in the never-used bed.

"What are you wearing?"

"Haven't decided yet," she said, sitting down to take out the curlers.

"Let me," Holly said, her slim fingers working swiftly to remove the metallic rounds. She used the brush to loosen the curls a little, then teased Liv's hair into place.

It brought Liv back to their youth, to summer's while they were in school, when Holly would sneak over to Liv's place and they'd get ready together before visiting nightclubs. It was a warm and welcome wave of nostalgia.

"I wish I had your hair," Holly whined, setting her free. She decided to flip through the dresses Liv had hanging off the door, her two top choice dresses.

There was the strapless green one, with a sweetheart neckline, but Liv was a little worried about the material making her sweat. She had a lace one, that was a lighter fabric, the color of a good glass of red wine on a winter's evening. She was worried, though, that the deep neckline would attract the wrong kind of attention.

"Have you ever worn this one?" Holly asked, pulling one out. It was the color of candlelight, and the beading shone in the sun streaming through the windows.

"Once, I think I was too thin and it kept slipping down."

"Oh, two years ago...? When you were working on that awful case with the-"

"Yes," Liv said, not even able to hear about what they both knew she was talking about.

"Well you definitely weigh more now," Holly said. Liv couldn't even be mad at the frank honesty, it was true. "But it's good. Happy weight. And you'll be the belle of the ball. I'll zip you in."

Liv examined the dress on herself, liking the way it clung to her curves. It was beautiful, and the perfect amount of formal, but it was only exquisite in the right light. She felt confident it was the right choice.

"You ready?" Harry called, from the staircase, he bound a few more steps up to the third floor landing.

She grabbed her clutch off the bed, and opened the door. "Yeah, all ready."

"Oh, you look great," he said, holding her an arm's length away. "Beautiful."

She smiled, and offered him a kiss.

"Grossss," Holly hissed playfully.

"You're worse than the thirteen year old," Harry said, taking Liv's arm and leading her down the stairs. Holly followed them, still observing everything there was to see about their house.

"Y'know what this place reminds me of?" Holly asked. "That... boarding house you and your mom lived in that summer... out in Surrey."

"Liv said the same thing the first time she visited."

"Except this place probably doesn't have bedbugs... or roaches."

"Negative on both counts," Liv said, shuddering at the memory of the condition of that house.

Ron and Hermione had already arrived, and were enjoying the nice summer breeze on the patio. Liv wondered why they hadn't cleared off the patio... or had people over, for that matter, sooner. It was delightful outside. For an hour or so, everyone mingled on the patio, sipping at the crisp white wines Harry had picked out for the occasion.

The weather was perfect, the golden summer sun shining on them. It wasn't sweltering, instead just the perfect amount of heat.

"These tomatoes are so fresh," Cian said.

"It's my entire crop this year," Liv laughed. "Started them on the balcony at my old place and managed to keep some of them alive here. And there's this awesome little farmer's market on Saturdays just a few blocks over where I got the rest of the food..."

"I wish our village had a farmer's market," Holly said. They lived in a little village, an hour to the south by train. It was close to where Holly had grown up, and they had purchased their little dwelling when they'd found out they were expecting.

"Come visit ours next weekend," Liv said. "Harry got this almond croissant today... to die for, honestly."

Hannah and Neville arrived last, grateful for a chance to not spend their weekend evening pouring drinks, though they waited for the last possible second to leave, because… well, it was difficult to step away sometimes. Liv understood. There was a reason she had only taken one sick day in the last year.

"Thank you so much for inviting us," Neville said, greeting them warmly. "It's so great to have an evening off."

"Very overdue," Hannah said, nodding along with her husband.

"We're so glad you could make it," Liv said. "Really."

"Teddy's off to school in what, two weeks?" Hannah asked. "I know classes start shortly after."

"Ugh," Liv sighed, a pang of sadness in her stomach every time someone brought it up. "Don't remind me."

"She's having some trouble accepting it," Harry said, laughing. "It will be so good for him, though."

"I've gotten really used to seeing him every weekend," she explained. "Even if he just comes over while we make breakfast on Sunday and we listen to whatever game's on the radio… it's going to be difficult not to see him for four whole months."

"He's so lucky to have you," Neville said. "I was raised by my nan too, and she was a wonderful woman, but…"

"The more people to love Teddy, the better." Harry offered.

"Precisely. Thirteen year old me would've killed for a cool aunt and uncle to have Sunday brunch with," Neville said. Liv smiled, having been reluctant in considering herself in any sort of named role like that, but if someone else called her that… it warmed her heart.

"But if you want someone to sneak him in care packages between Hogsmeade visits, well, let me know. I know I'll have him in my intermediate class."

"Really?" Liv asked. "I'm going to take you up on that, for certain. Thank you, Neville."

She took a moment to dream up all sorts of care packages. While at Hogwarts, she'd only ever gotten the leftovers from what Holly's mum sent her, but there had been some really spectacular ones. She would have to learn how to bake, as treats from home were always highly coveted. The idea of being the cool aunt who sent lots of goodies that Ted could share with his friends thrilled her.

She spent a few minutes deep in thought, over what she could send him and how she could spoil him, before Harry broke her concentration. "Love, I think it's about time we head to the venue."

"Right," she said, taking a long, slow breath of the cooling air. Liv had enjoyed about three glasses of wine and was the perfect amount of tipsy. He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him.

"We are going to have an excellent time."

**Author's Note: A nice, long chapter to get us back on track! As I mentioned in the previous update, I have something kind of exciting to share. I have been writing, fanfiction and regular fiction, for over ten years now, and I am trying to make writing a more substantial part of my life. I will never, ever put my stories behind a paywall, because I want everyone to be able to access them. However, for those that are interested in supporting me in a small, financial capacity, I have added a ko-fi account and the link to that can be found on my profile page. To express my gratitude towards anyone who donates, there are some rewards offered (such as deleted scenes of Gravity) and the ability to ask for commissions. Any donations offered will go to opening up my schedule to allow for more time spent writing which means more for you to read! Many thanks to my beta, potter-reading-coastie, for all his assistance with this story. **


	26. Chapter 26

As they turned the corner, he could see the giant staircase they had to descend to make it into the gala. It was designed like this on purpose: tonight was about being seen, and there was no way to make it to your table without at least half of the attendees glancing up at you. He saw Liv fall back, transitioning from her spot beside him to matching pace with Holly. He paused for just a moment, questioning it, but knew, that ultimately… it was the right move for the evening.

The woman at the door checked them in, then waved them down the staircase.

For a few moments, all he saw was camera flashes, but he followed Ron's pace and made it to the turn of the staircase. The room below them was thoughtfully adorned with fairy lights, and seasonal flower arrangements and lots of glasses of champagne.

"This part fucking blows," Ron whispered, to the amusement of both Hermione and Harry. "If we didn't have to do this stupid, showy entrance I'd consider going to more of these stupid things."

It was nearly impossible to resist the impulse to turn around to check on Liv. Instead, he focused on putting one foot in front of the other and not tripping until he got to the bottom of the staircase. They took one final picture of him, and he moved out of the range of cameras.

From just beyond the staircase, they turned to wait for the rest of the party to join them. Liv walked to the side of her friends, her right hand lightly grazing the side of the staircase. She looked stunning, truly. Her dress, nearly the color of her skin, was fitted through the hips, then flared out. It shone, the beading catching the myriad of sources of light. Her hair, lightly waved, lay to one side of her head, framing her face beautifully. He couldn't imagine finding anyone more attractive.

Next to him, a camera flashed, and he jumped. He turned to see Pia's playful brown eyes peeking out from behind the camera.

"What are you doing?" he asked, a hot flash of anger in his veins.

"Don't worry," she laughed. "That won't be in tomorrow's paper. I thought you might want it for yourselves. She's beautiful."

He blinked away the white spots in his eyes, as Pia went to get a final picture of the Evansons and Liv. When they'd made it beyond the reaches of the cameras, Liv moved closer to him, rejoining him.

"It wasn't that bad," she said, quietly. "Now we can enjoy our evening, right?"

"Right," he said. He nearly chewed a hole in his lip, hoping Pia was true to her word.

She watched him descend the stairs, flanked by Hermione and Ron. At one point, they shared a laugh and Liv wondered about what.

"This is awkward," Holly said, eyeing up the staircase as Liv's date made his way beyond the cameras.

"It's fine," Liv said. "It'll be over quick."

"But-"

"Holly," Cian hissed, and Liv felt a huge surge of gratitude towards him. "Leave it, yeah?"

Holly managed to keep her lips sealed for a few minutes, while the woman directing the flow of traffic down the stairs waved them on. Holly grabbed Liv's arm and steadied her, as they walked down the marble staircase. Liv kept her right hand on the bannister, afraid of tripping or otherwise making a fool of herself. The ballroom below them was about half full, and a good portion of them allowed their eyes to wander to who was entering.

Liv didn't- couldn't bear to, really, search out where her date for the evening stood. The flashes of the light bulb, coupled with her wildly pounding heart kept her focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, until her shoes hit the last step.

Holly didn't let go of her, but instead focused on rejoining their group. Once they were well beyond the reaches of the photographers, she joined Harry's side.

"That wasn't so bad," she said, in an effort to convince them both. "Now we can enjoy our evening, right?"

"Right."

They grabbed drinks at the bar, before finding their table. There were delicately calligraphed name cards at each seat, which had placed Liv clear across the table from Harry. She tried not to let it rock her delicate confidence, but definitely stood at the table, frozen for a moment, not particularly wanting to sit between Cian and Neville.

"Liv, take this," Ron said, handing her the card with her name on it. "You sit next to him, and everyone else will move down one."

She nodded, and watched as they all shifted, making room for her, grateful to this circle of people that was willing to work with their unique limitations. She ended up with Holly to one side of her, and Harry on the other. It was perfect.

Everyone around them began to settle and take their seats, as a dark skinned woman took the stage. She tapped the microphone, making certain it was working, before addressing the crowd. It took Liv a moment to place her, but realized when she begun to speak it was Glenda Chittook, one of the most famous radio hosts.

"On behalf of The Daily Prophet, and the Wizarding Wireless Network, I am pleased to welcome all of you to this year's Thirty Under Thirty gala, celebrating the best and brightest witches and wizards of 2010**." **

Everyone clapped politely. Liv took a moment to observe who was in the crowd around her... she noticed last year's MVP Quidditch players, Orly Norwich and Oscar Fortuna. A few people she knew were involved in significant medical advancements. As keen as she was for Harry, he had been correct when he said he sunk into normalcy after the war.

"We are delighted to welcome all of you, award recipients and their loved ones, to a night dedicated to celebrating you and raising money for such an excellent cause. We have a wonderful line up of events that we know everyone will enjoy."

Liv was curious exactly what that meant, as she swirled the last sip of champagne around the bottom of her glass. She was a little too tipsy, and wanted to get some food in her stomach before she embarrassed herself.

As Glenda spoke about the events of the evening, Liv couldn't help but let her eyes wander over the crowd. At Oscar Fortuna's table, she saw the back of someone's head, and it looked unfortunately familiar.

"Holly," Liv hissed, turning her head slightly. "Is that Simon?"

"Where?"

"Table six; he's sitting in the seat at... two o'clock."

She twisted in her seat, frowning at the tall man obstructing her view. She leaned over and asked Cian, who nodded.

"The seat next to him is empty," Holly observed.

Liv wasn't sure what to make of that. This didn't seem like the kind of event he would normally attend alone, and there was no shortage of women trying to date him.

"What's the matter?" Harry whispered, leaning in.

"Simon's here," she said.

She looked at his face while he processed it, and he nodded. She had no reason to dislike Simon, he'd been a good friend to her, and to Ames as well. But it still raised the hair on the back of her neck a little. With nothing to lose, she tipped what was left of her wine glass into her mouth.

Between courses, she headed to the bar, needing... something strong. The first courses of the decadent meal, which she had definitely needed, had killed her buzz completely.

"A shot of fire whiskey in a butterbeer and a glass of Chardonnay, please," she asked the bartender. The open bar had been packed earlier, but was more sparsely crowded now, between courses. She dropped a galleon in the tip jar.

"Liv."

She turned around, instinctively, at the sound of her name, before she could register it was Simon asking for her.

"Simon," she said. He greeted her with kisses on both cheeks.

"I didn't expect to see you here."

"I could say the same to you," she said, honestly still slightly shaken by him being there. "How have you been?"

He nodded. "The season's been rough on me, the girl I was dating for two whole months—"

"No, did you say months?" she asked. "I thought you didn't date anyone longer than two weeks!"

"Believe me, it surprised me too," he said. "Anyways, turned out the whole time we were dating she was still actively married, so that was shoddy, but what can you do."

"I'm sorry, Simon."

He shrugged. "Such is life."

"Isn't that the truth," she said. The bartender placed two drinks in front of her, and she thanked him.

"Drinking for two?" he asked.

"One's for my, uh, boyfriend," she said, pursing her lips. She certainly wasn't ashamed of Harry as her boyfriend, but talking about it openly, to someone from an earlier chapter of her life… it felt weird.

"You're dating?" he asked. "That's wonderful, Liv. Truly."

She nodded. "I didn't… expect to, but I'm very happy, Simon."

For a second, she considered asking about Ames. Was he still in rehab? Was he out? Was he staying sober, working on himself, drowning himself in alcohol? She had so many questions, and it seemed so odd that such a close friend now felt so distant.

"Ames is doing okay," he said, as if he could read her face.

"Good."

"I had invited him tonight, but he never committed. I'm not surprised he didn't show, perhaps it's for the best. Open bars are hard during sobriety."

She nodded, sympathetic to that. "I'm sure."

She glanced at her table, to find Harry watching them. Holly leaned over to whisper something to him and he nodded. Her curiosity was piqued, but she knew it was time to return to her table. "Probably for the best he didn't come, eh?"

She nodded, not sure she'd ever be ready to be in the same room as Ames again. And certainly not with a crowd. "It's been nice to see you, Simon. I should get back to my friends."

He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "You too, Liv. Take care of yourself."

She grabbed both drinks, somehow keeping them steady in her shaking hands, and managed to set them down on their table without shaking. The main course was being served, but she didn't find herself too hungry for prime rib and asparagus. A live band started up, filling the wonderful acoustics of the room.

"Everything okay?" Harry asked. The other side of the table seemed engrossed in a conversation about whether Oscar Fortuna was really the best Quidditch player of last year's season, or if Alvin Janus had been majorly snubbed.

She nodded. "Just saying hi. It's all good."

"I told you she'd be fine," Holly said.

"He means no harm," she explained. "Really, Simon's always been a nice guy."

He nodded, though she could tell he was on edge. Under the table, she grabbed his hand, and he stroked it lightly for a minute.

"Dinner is so good," Holly said, trying to fill the silence.

"Yeah, it is," Liv said, though she'd yet to eat any of the beef. She picked at the asparagus and the mashed potatoes, while everyone around her demolished their plate. Her stomach was unsettled due to how on edge she was. She went through the motions, cutting up her steak and eating a few bites here and there, contributing to conversation when she could. Holly spoke to her a lot about her and Cian's upcoming holiday to Ireland, where they would introduce Xavi to Cian's extended family.

After dinner wrapped up, most of their group went to the adjacent saloon where bidding was open on a score of auction items. She looked through them all, nosy about who was bidding for what. She saw that Harry had bid on a few, most seriously on a crate of her favorite wine. She upped his bid by five galleons.

There were vacation options, going for far more money than she could put down at an event like this. Partial season tickets for Quidditch. An opportunity to join Glenda on WWN for a show. All sorts of fun opportunities people were happy to bid on.

As she completed the walk around the items, she went off in search of Harry. It took her a few moments to locate him, but found him talking to a gorgeous woman with skin the color of terracotta. Her eyes shone as he spoke with her, and she felt a surge of protectiveness over him. For a second, she paused, unsure whether she should join him or let him be. Despite his misgivings, he had let her handle Simon alone.

Before she could decide, Pia had noticed her, and Harry turned around to look at her. He gestured for her to join them, and she did, albeit nervously.

"It's been awhile," Pia said, approaching him as he set his empty glass at his plate. He saw, at the edges of his vision, his friends at the bar, absorbed in their own conversations. Ron knew about Pia, not that he particularly cared, though to anyone else it merely looked like a polite conversation. His heart beat a little faster, from nerves, as she stood in front of him, her dark eyes curious.

He considered it, and despite having completely mixed feelings towards her, decided he did in fact have to speak with her. "It has."

"Since you left so abruptly," she said, wrinkling her nose.. He thought back to the night they had shared while he was still unsure how he felt about Liv. Once he had been certain that he felt, well, something... he'd discarded the idea of Pia and moved forward without a second thought. Their relationship had never extended beyond the bedroom, though he knew she had been quite eager to date him for some time after her marriage had fallen apart. "Then blew me off entirely."

"I am sorry about that," he said, earnestly.

She shrugged. "I miss you."

He let it hang in the air between them, as he couldn't say the same. He hoped a brief, awkward beat would nudge her to divulge whatever had brought her over to him. She took his pause in stride, smiling, and stepping just a foot closer. "And that thing that you do with your—"

"Pia, please," he said, holding up his hand. Her words recalled a very different time in his life, a time where they met often in a room at the Leaky Cauldron and their bodies joined together in hedonistic ways. Nearly all of their encounters were behind closed doors, their communication in tightly sealed and heavily guarded letters, and it felt incredibly strange to be even acknowledging the other in public.

But those times seemed very far away. He didn't turn to see where Liv was, but he knew she was close by. He had nothing to hide- he was, after all, a thoroughly single man when he'd seen Pia last, and there was nothing strange going on. But she was sensitive, and he had asked enough of her tonight.

"Sorry," she said; though there was a devilish flicker in her eye. She was enjoying making him uncomfortable. "You look well."

"I am," he said, nodding vigorously. "I am happy in ways that I haven't been in years."

"She's beautiful."

He nodded. "She's a lot more than beautiful."

"Well," Pia said, adjusting her grip on the heavy camera that she held in front of her. Pia's gaze flickered and settled on a spot over his left shoulder, and he had a feeling he knew exactly who she was looking at.

"Pia Helvari," she said, holding out her hand to shake Liv's.

"Olivia Wellwood."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said. "My employees couldn't stop raving about how wonderful you looked when you came in."

"That's very kind, thank you."

"Not to worry, we'll keep you two out of the papers," Pia said, as if divulging a secret. "For now, at least. When you're ready, we'll sit down and put together something tasteful-"

Liv just blinked at her, unsure of even what to say. She didn't want to even think about having to _put together something tasteful_ to announce their relationship to the entirety of the population. She looked to Harry, hoping he would rescue her.

"Thanks, Pia. We should get back to our group."

"Of course. Enjoy the party, Harry."

Her tone felt... exploratory, to Liv. Like she was testing him. She didn't like it, and based on their quick encounter, she didn't like Pia either. She tried to put on a smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace.

He looked at her, his eyes crinkling in sympathy. She knew he was thinking about how much he had asked of her, and she felt bad for being so weak in the face of it.

"It doesn't look like many people are on the patio, why don't we go out there."

"Some fresh air sounds nice."

They walked past the bar, and Liv took a last glance at the room, before walking out the door he was holding open for her.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, quietly, once they'd gotten to the patio. It was comfortingly quiet out here, and the chill of the evening air soothed her flushed skin.

"Processing a lot," she said, rather quickly. "Slightly anxious, and I've probably had a bit too much to drink."

He nodded. "I'm sorry, Liv. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to come."

She couldn't help but shrug. "I'm glad we've spent the evening with our friends. It's a good group of people we've got in there. I feel... very lucky."

"Absolutely," he agreed. "Let me get a class of water for you, okay? I'll be right back."

She glanced through the delicate glass doors, towards the bar. It was only a few paces away. A glass of water would help get the alcohol through her, so she nodded. When he opened the door, the sound of live music floated out. They'd actually booked a decent band.

In the meantime, she focused on taking long, slow breaths, the cool air rough against her tight throat. The more breaths she took, the easier it became.

Harry returned with a glass of ice water and a ginger ale for her, which was very welcome. She placed the ginger ale on the rail of the patio, which she drank as much water as she could handle.

"You're okay, he said, smoothing her hair. "You look wonderful, lots of people have been admiring you. It means a lot to me that you put up with bullshit like this just to spend the evening with me."

She nodded. "You're worth it."

"I love you very much," he said, hugging her back as she leaned against the stone railing.

"I love you too, she said, as he nuzzled her neck. The privacy of the patio was just what she needed.

In the distance, a flash and a pop scattered pink light across the sky.

"Fireworks," she whispered. He pressed a kiss to her shoulders, then backed off as a few curious partygoers made their way out to the patio.

The display lasted for ten minutes, flashes of pink, yellow, green, and blue lighting up the night sky. It was a welcome distraction, as she sipped her ginger ale and focused on taking deep breaths.

By the end of it, most of the party was on the patio, enjoying the show. Holly and Cian had worked their way through the crowd to stand next to them.

"We could go to midnight karaoke," Harry suggested, his own intoxication causing a flush down his cheeks and neck.

"Oh, please," Holly asked. "It's been too long since I've heard Liv croon Celestina Warbeck songs in front of complete strangers."

The table laughed, but Liv remained a voice of reason. "The 11-km hike you've promised we'll take Ted on tomorrow will be extra fun if we're out til three in the morning."

He frowned, but nodded. "Logically, I know you're right."

"I know," she said. "Another time, certainly."

Everyone murmured their agreement, though it was rather non-committal. She could tell everyone was getting ready to splinter off and head their separate ways. The heels she'd worn made her feet hurt, she couldn't imagine how Hermione had managed.

"Shall we call it a night then?" Harry asked, taking the cue from the empty glasses and break in conversation.

"I think so," Ron said, nodding.

They each collected their belongings, and headed towards the exit, which was refreshingly clear of any photographers this time. Harry took Liv's arm in his, before stopping on the way out to make sure the crate of wine he'd secretly outbid her on in the silent auction would be delivered to the house.

"Ready to go home?" she asked, as her turned to look at the half-full ballroom.

"Lead the way."

**Author's Note: Here's the latest update! Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Many thanks to potter-reading-coastie, my fabulous beta. **


	27. Chapter 27

She sat at her desk, working on a report for Rutherford. Instinctively, she reached for her mug of coffee, which was unfortunately empty. When she got to a good stopping point, she'd refill it, she decided.

"Got a minute?"

She looked up to see Harry at her door, his hands full of food from the cafeteria. She nodded, beckoning him in, and he closed the door behind him.

"Is that for me?" She asked, clearing enough space on her desk to fit what was in his hands.

"Of course," he said, taking a seat. "I saw you fly out of the house this morning, did you even have time to grab lunch?"

"No," she said, with a sigh. She opened her top draw to the left side of the desk, where she normally stashed food, to find only a lone granola bar. That wouldn't do.

She opened the crinkly paper bag to find it was exactly what she needed: ham, egg, and cheese on a croissant. And a latte, of course. She felt a surge of admiration for him. "You are truly wonderful."

He shrugged, pulling his own breakfast out of the bag. It looked like an egg white, vegetable, and turkey bacon wrap. Very typical of him: healthy, boring. "Thought I might take some time to catch you up to speed on some of my cases."

"Oh, of course," she said, biting into her sandwich.

"Though we also need to figure out how we're celebrating the weekend with Teddy," he said, absentmindedly. She could tell it was heavy on his mind.

"The hazards of our multi layered relationship," she said quietly, with a smile.

With a sigh, he came back down to earth and she could tell he was more present. "Though we may be better off discussing that over dinner."

"Sounds like a plan," she said, dragging her planner out from under a pile of folders on her desk. She wanted to take notes on what he was going to fill her in on. They had three pending cases right now, two of which he and his team was helping with. She hoped to get them tied up before the weekend, so she could fully immerse herself into their last few days with Ted.

There was a knock on the door. Liv sighed, and put her sandwich down. "Come in!"

The door opened slowly, and she was incredibly shocked to see Kensington standing on the other side. Her first impression was that he looked much older than when she'd last seen him. He leaned on a cane, but in all other regards looked significantly healthier than she expected.

"Kensington!" she exclaimed, shocked, yet elated to see him. "Come in, come in."

She ushered him in, where he tried to sit in the chair next to Harry. "Not a chance," Liv said. "Take your seat."

"I insist," he said.

"**I** insist." She blocked him from sitting down, and wouldn't sit herself until he took the seat behind the desk.

"This isn't my chair," he said, adjusting in the seat.

"Oh, yeah," she said, sitting down in one of the chairs, her right leg tucked under her body. "Your chair is waiting for you at my desk. I'll see it's returned for you in its proper home upon your return."

He looked pleased, as he looked between them. "It's nice to see oil and vinegar co-mingling."

"We've come to have a much better working relationship while you've been gone," Harry said, trepidatiously. She knew immediately that he had no clue whether Rutherford had filled Kensington in on their status outside of work.

"I hear you make a fine vinaigrette," Kensington said, a smug smile on his face, showing his hand. He chuckled at his own joke.

Liv couldn't help but laugh, a deep laugh until she had tears in her eyes. "How long have you wanted to say that?"

"Oh, I've had it on my mind for months," he said. "Rutherford's kept me in the loop since the beginning."

She nodded, feeling an air of relief come over her. He seemed fine with everything, and that relieved so much stress for her.

"I have to say, you look about five years younger and ten times happier than last time I sat in this seat and you sat in that one."

"Well," she began. "Yeah. I'd say that's about accurate."

He looked at them both, observing them. "So, how has it been?"

She took a moment to consider the last two months. To the various issues that had come up, to managing personalities as well as tight deadlines. It had been nothing like she had imagined it. "Well, no one's been injured, on my—sorry, our team, at least. No one's quit."

"You're not giving yourself enough credit," Harry said.

"I'm certain she isn't."

"You're biased," she said, pointing at Harry. "I'm ready to hand the reins back over to you, sir."

"From what I've heard," he said. "You've been doing an excellent job, just as I expected. I never doubted your skills, not for one second, Olivia."

It was a sincere compliment, which Kensington did not give freely, and it pleased her. She was glad that he was happy with how she had done, though she was also very ready for her life to return to normal. "Thank you, sir."

"Though I, too, am ready to come back to work," he said. "The doctors at Mungo's have agreed to let me return on a part time basis in two weeks' time."

"That's fantastic news," Liv said. "I think I speak for everyone when I say we are so ready for you to come back."

"Now, Harry, if you wouldn't mind, could I speak to Olivia alone for a few minutes?"

"Of course," he said. "I'll catch you later, Liv."

She handed him his coffee off her desk, and he left, quietly shutting the door behind him. For a moment, Liv was unsure about what exactly Kensington wanted from her.

"He seems to make you quite happy."

She nodded. "He does. But we do our very best to keep things as professional as possible."

"So I've heard," he said. "But I wanted to talk to you about something else. Marcia and I were talking, while I was ill…"

She knew he was speaking of his wife, the short, round woman with ginger-gray hair who came to eat lunch with him once a week. "Oh?"

"And I think it's getting close to time for me to step away from this role."

"What do you mean?" she asked, leaning forward. "There's no research department without you."

"Well," he said. "In the seven years you have known it, that is correct. And I have worked in this office for over thirty years, but I think it's time for me to spend more time with my family. Clara is expecting twins early next year, and Archie already has two boys, and I would like to be more active in their lives. Not immediately, but by next Spring, I would like to retire."

"Oh," she said, sadly, lacking anything else to say. "Well, whatever I can do to help with the transition process, of course, I'm sure you'll need to hold interviews-"

"Wellwood-" he said, putting his hand up to make her stop talking, but she didn't want to.

"I'm sure you've got to look at the internal candidates, Houston's been here the next longest, and I'm sure-"

"Olivia!" He said, loudly enough that it shocked her into quiet.

"Yes?"

"I would like you to take over my role," he said. "I met with the executives this morning and we're all quite pleased with the idea of working with you to have you take over for me, say, June 1."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I mean, I was fine to keep the department from sinking while you've been sick but-"

"If you're not going to accept the position, you're going to need a much better excuse than not finding yourself good enough."

She was quiet, for a moment, thinking about the position he had just handed her. It was nearly eight years that she'd worked in Research, working her way up form intern, but it seemed like hardly anytime at all.

"You're one of the brightest researchers I have been privileged to work with, capable of any task I gave you, and I'm sure that capability will extend to the last task I shall ask of you."

She had tears in her eyes, partly sad, but also a tinge of pride. Everything she had worked for... the late nights, the gray hairs, the stress- in that moment, it was all worth it.

"Well?" He asked, expectantly, after he'd given her a few moments of silence to contemplate everything.

"I would be delighted to accept it," she said. "But I'm going to need a lot of help."

"We will make certain you have every ounce of help you could possibly need. It will be a long and thoughtfully planned transition."

She nodded. "Wow."

He laughed at her speechlessness, a rare sight. "I think it's about time I get going, but I'll be in touch about when to expect me. I'm thinking I might stop by one morning next week, we can start to go over the cases I missed while I was gone?"

"Of course," she said, scrambling to get up and get the door for him.

"And Wellwood?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Clean off your damn desk, it's a wonder you get anything done with it like that."

She laughed, and saw him out. A glance towards Harry's office showed he was in a meeting, so she decided to get more work done and knew he would follow up with her when he had the time. She listened to Kensington, and started sorting the files on her desk so that only a third of it was taken up by paper and she actually had room to write.

She was engrossed in her reports, though every so often she found her mind wandering to her conversation with Kensington. In a year's time, this office would be hers, full time. She would be running the show, instead of doing what it took to keep the show limping along in a mostly functional manner. It blew her mind.

When her stomach growled, pulling her away from her work, she decided to check on Harry, though she found his office empty. "Where is he?"

His secretary, Taryn, looked up, surprised. "He took some Aurors in the field. I don't think he's planning on making it back into the office this afternoon."

"Huh," she said, confused. It didn't seem like him to leave without giving her a heads up. "Who does he have with him?"

"Evanson, Marquis, Selwyn," she said, reading off the paper in front of her. "Fairlyle and Caldwell too. I think that's it."

She nodded, mulling it over. "Okay. Thanks."

She grabbed lunch, though not getting to share her news with Harry did but a sour note on things. She wasn't mad at him, for leaving without telling her, not exactly. But she was very curious about the circumstances that led him to such a hasty departure. She picked at a salad, over the span of a few hours, wondering exactly what he was up to.

—

"Liv!" Holly cried, holding onto her doorway. She looked out of breath and extremely disheveled, all of which caused Liv great alarm.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"He got hurt," she said, her chest heaving up and down. "We had t-"

She grabbed her wallet, leaving everything else behind and nearly ran out of the department. Nothing else mattered. "Where is he?"

"They were taking him to Mungo's," she said. "I left to come get you, I've never seen anything like—"

"Can you take me to him?" she asked, speed walking nearly beyond Holly's ability to keep up. Her own chest was tight with anxiety, her blood pounding angrily in her forehead

"Yeah," she said, jogging to keep up with Liv as she headed to the stairs. "I'm sure he'll be fine, the Healers have so much new magic at their dispense-"

Liv drowned out whatever Holly was saying, as they took the Floo to Mungos. She hadn't been there in ages, not since her own Mum was admitted and never left. The sterile white walls hadn't changed much at all.

An old, tired looking witch sat at reception. "Hi, I'm here to see someone but I don't know what ward they're in."

"Last name?"

Liv hated this part, and was dreading it with all her might. "Potter."

The witch looked unamused, and glanced at Liv over her glasses. "Do you know how many times I've heard that one, dearie?"

Liv sighed, and grabbed her wallet, taking out her badge. "I'm Head of Research in the Auror Department and I need to see him."

The badge changed the old woman's tune, and she was pouring over her ledger. "Well, he's on the fourth floor, though I see here is next of kin is with him and will need to approve you as a visitor."

"You work on that while I head up there, then," Liv barked, unforgivingly. She headed towards the lift, dragging Holly with her.

"A small perk of covering Kensington," Holly said, in the otherwise silent elevator.

"Today, he asked me to take his position permanently when he retires next spring," Liv said, quietly. She couldn't bare to look at Holly, to see the pity on her face that she had received such great news while her boyfriend was in such shape.

"I look forward to celebrating with you," she murmured, putting her arm around Liv and squeezing her tight. "Later."

"What is the fourth level?" Liv asked, pivoting the conversation away from herself. "Spell damage?"

She nodded. "It was a curse of some kind, I'd not seen it before."

"Couldn't go and get poisoned or break a bone of course," she scoffed.

The waiting room was full of natural light and gorgeous, thriving plants that annoyed Liv. She didn't give a shit about ambience or aesthetics.

"I'm here to see Harry Potter," Liv said, to the nurse at the desk. She placed her badge on the table top.

"We've notified his next of kin that you are here," she said. "It's up to them to bring you in."

"And who exactly is his next of kin?" She asked, impatiently.

"I'm sorry, miss, I'm not at liberty to say."

Liv huffed and began to pace the waiting room. She hoped, begged, and pleaded with herself that he had updated his records sometime in the last five years and taken Ginny off of them. She did not want to see Ginny coming through the doors across the room. Technically, Teddy was probably the truest next of kin, but she was certain no one had contacted him and Andromeda.

Holly watched her with pity, as she walked the length of the waiting area. She didn't care, all she could think about was him. Was he going to be okay? What exactly happened? Spell work scared her the most out of anything.

"Holly, if you need to get back to work-"

"Nonsense," she said. "I'm not going to leave you here alone."

Liv nodded, finally sitting down for a moment. Her legs, her entire body, truly, were restless, though exhausted.

The doors opened, and Liv almost cried tears of relief to see a tall, lanky red headed man on the other side. "Ron!"

"I'm so sorry that took so long," he said, walking quickly towards them. Taking her by surprise, he embraced her in a very tight hug. She was on the verge of letting the tears win, but didn't.

"How is he?" She asked, mustering up as much strength as she could to keep her voice level.

"They've got him stable, finally," he said. "He's sedated... I'll take you to him."

He glanced over her shoulder at Holly. "Do you want to..."

"No," she said, quickly. "Liv, I'm going to grab your things for you, and I'll drop them off here, okay?"

"Thank you."

She followed Ron into the quiet, blindingly white ward. She slipped her badge back into her purse to keep her fingers busy.

"Did they give you a trouble?"

"A little," she said. "The badge goes a long ways."

"He's just in here," Ron said, opening a glass door for her.

She thought that seeing him would calm her nerves. It couldn't be that bad if his chest was rising and falling, she had thought to herself moments before. But he looked so still, so... lifeless.

"Oh, my," she said, sinking into one of the chairs at his bedside. Blood was still matted into his hair, and dried to his face. His skin was extra pale.

"The good news is that he is stable," he said, though the confidence in his voice was questionable. She didn't feel particularly soothed by the good news.

"Where's Hermione?" She asked.

"Stuck at work," he said. "I may have under represented his state to her so she wouldn't worry, but I know she will be here as soon as she can."

"That was a good idea," she murmured. His hands were tucked under him tightly, his entire body looking extra stiff. She longed to touch him but was afraid of how cool he might feel.

"I tried to reach you at the Ministry but by the time I got through you were-"

"It's fine. Holly came and go me."

They sat in silence for a few moments, and she reveled in a brief period of numbness. There was not a single thing she could do in that moment, as she watched him.

"When will the Healer be around?" She said, after a lengthy period of silence.

"They were going to give him some time sedated before they evaluate things."

"Makes sense."

Ron got up, stretching his legs. He left briefly to get a snack, which she did not partake in. Nothing was going to separate them, not until his eyes were open and he was talking.

**Author's Note: Well, a lot happens in this chapter, that's for sure! Let me know what you think in the reviews **** Eternal gratitude to my beta, potter-reading-coastie for all his assistance. **


	28. Chapter 28

"The Healer's about to do rounds," Hermione said, settling down in the chair next to Liv. She had her legs folded up, tucked to her chest, testing the bounds of the chair. Harry hadn't moved an inch. It had been four hours and the only movement had been a jerky breathing.

"Good," she said, her voice tense.

Beside her, Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance that she pretended she didn't see. She didn't want this. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare already. Her mind cycled through the horrible outcomes that could be her new reality. Harry was the one who helped manage her through stressful situations, and she was struggling with his absence.

The clock on the wall ticked further and further into the evening as she waited for the Healer to stop by. Finally, the tall woman with a mop of curly dark hair sat with them. "How is everyone, this evening?"

Liv had no patience for pleasantries, and deferred to Hermione. "I think I speak for everyone when I say we've been better."

"I'm sure," she said. "I have good and bad news for you this evening."

"We'll take the good first," Ron said, shifting in his seat.

"I think he's going to make a good recovery," she said, scanning his chart. "He's young. His reflexes are strong. He's likely to have excellent quality of life."

Hours ago Liv would've bartered with her own life to hear these words, but they weren't quite as comforting as she thought they would be.

"The bad?" she asked, speaking up for the first time.

"There's no way to tell the extent of it the damage to his nervous system until he is awake and we can do extensive testing."

"When can you wake him up?" she asked.

The Healer laughed nervously. "It doesn't really work like that. We have to wait for the sedatives to wear off on their own. They will keep him subdued until his body is strong enough. It could be three hours or it could be three days, and I'm sorry I do not have any better answers for you."

She sighed, frustrated. The entire day had ground her down further than she'd known possible, and she was still without real answers.

"We'll be doing rounds twice a day to do basic tests on him, but there's nothing else we can do until he stirs. You can rest easy knowing he is not in any pain or discomfort, and we are taking excellent care of him."

Liv got up, feeling too much nervous energy in her to sit. She wasn't pleased with this report, though she couldn't do anything about it, or even demand the Healer do anything about it. It was what it was. Ron spoke with the Healer a bit more, though nothing notable came of it. She walked up and down the floor,

"Liv," Hermione said, her eyes full of pity. "Will you go to the cafeteria with me?"

"I really don't want to leave the floor," she said. "In case he wakes up. I want to be here."

"I know you do," she said, gently. "But he'd want you to eat, to take care of yourself. You need to eat."

"I think it's a good idea," Ron said. "You can go get something and come back and eat it here. It'll take ten minutes, and it will be good to stretch your legs. You're going to wear a hole in the floor if you stay where you are."

"Okay," she said, reluctantly. She grabbed her wallet and followed Hermione, silent the whole way. Hermione tried to fill the silence, but sensed that Liv needed silence, and respected it.

Liv scanned all of the different food options in the cafeteria, though none of them seemed to pique her interest. The meat in the stir fry looked dodgy, the salad bar had seen better days. She picked up an egg salad sandwich, finding it the least offensive, and decided she could probably eat a few bites, if it would get them off her case.

"Has this ever happened before?" she asked Hermione, on their climb back to the ward.

"He's been banged up," she said. "Broken bones, concussions, but no, he's never been hospitalized before."

She sighed. The ward let them back in with no hassle, and she settled back in to her chair. She opened the packaged sandwich, taking about three bites before it started to turn her stomach and she put it away.

"Liv, I think I should transfer my power over his medical decisions to you," Ron said. "It's a simple process, I talked to one of the administrators..."

She thought about it for a moment, and it did mean a lot to her that he considered her a permanent fixture to his life. It definitely affirmed that Ron had accepted her as Harry's girlfriend, even if it was only brought out by their shitty circumstances.

"I appreciate it, Ron," she said. "But I think you're much more level headed about this particular situation than I can hope to be."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, I think so," she said. "Should we be so lucky that he makes it out of this in one piece, then we can discuss it."

He nodded at her, appreciating her honesty and clarity. "If you change your mind-"

"Thank you," she said, quietly.

"There's someone here from the Ministry," a nurse said, stopping into their room.

Ron looked towards Liv, and she shrugged. "I wasn't expecting anyone, but I'll go see who it is."

She walked down the hallway, curious as to who was visiting. It was after hours, anyways. As she opened the frosted glass door to the waiting area, she was surprised to see Rutherford his hands folded in his lap.

"Rutherford," she said, almost comforted by his presence. She hadn't expected him to drop by himself.

"How is he?" he asked. "I had to come check, I couldn't get away from the office before now, lots of ripples in the wake from this, this—"

"He's been better," she said. "They've got him… sedated, indefinitely, you can come see him, come on."

She held the door for him, and he followed her, silently. She didn't even care her boss was seeing her in such a vulnerable state. She led him into Harry's room, where he acknowledged Ron and Hermione quickly. Liv peeled back the curtain blocking him from the hallway, and Rutherford was able to take in the state he was in. He covered his mouth in shock, but didn't say anything yet.

"We won't know much more until he's awake," Liv said. "It could be a few days."

He sighed. "I hate when this happens. It's the worst part of our department, putting good people in dangerous situations."

"What happened, exactly?" she asked, curiously.

"I have two people on his teams' accounts of it, I'll let you read them in the morning if you'd like."

It didn't matter that much to her, in the moment, what happened. She could ask Holly if she wanted, she was there. "Of course."

"The timing, my god," he said.

Liv laughed, sarcastically. "Yeah."

"Did you get to tell him?"

"No," she said, thinking about her conversation with Kensington. "It doesn't matter. Plenty of time to discuss it later."

"That's right," he said, nodding. "I'm certain once he's up, he'll be surpassing all expectations getting back to good health."

"That's what we're all hoping."

"Is there anything the Ministry can do?"

"I don't think so," she said. "It's a waiting game at the moment. I plan on coming into work tomorrow, I have plenty of stuff to work on, but I'll let you know as things develop."

"Okay," he said. "Take care of yourself, Wellwood. We can't afford to have the department down by two of our best workers."

She knew it was a compliment, but if didn't help her feel much better. Rutherford excused himself, and she resumed her place by Harry's bedside.

"Liv," Hermione said, coming back in the room. "I think you should go get some rest."

She shook her head. "I know you're right... but the thought of going back to that big, stupid house and being alone in it right now? Sounds horrible."

"Come home with us," she offered. "We have a spare room. Or stay at Holly's... but you can't stay here forever. He's okay here, but he's going to need you strong when he's awake."

She knew Hermione was right, though the idea of leaving him was... trying, to say the least. She spent a few moments next to him, brushing his hair lightly with her fingers. If she closed her eyes, and didn't breathe in the scent of the hospital, it was almost like she was at home, with him. It grounded her enough to leave, for now.

"Okay," she said. "I'll go get a few hours of sleep... and write Andromeda to get her up to speed. And probably go into the office in the morning to set some things up."

"Sounds like a good plan," Ron said. "We will be here as much as we can."

"Like you said," she murmured. "Rest up. He'll need us when he's awake, right?"

"Right."

She felt bad showing up at Holly's house without announcing herself, though Holly seemed rather relieved to see her. "I didn't think they'd be successful in convincing you not to spend the next week in that chair."

She shrugged. "I'm more tired than I've ever been in my life."

"Oh honey," she said, putting her arm around her. "Come in, I'll make you a cup of tea and you can get some rest."

"Tea sounds great," she said, taking a seat at the dining room table. Everything in Holly's house was cobbled together from hand me down sets and thrift stores, but it made it feel cozy.

"The baby and Cian are asleep," she said, filling up the kettle and lighting the gas stove. "So it's just us, you can have some tea, maybe take a bath, if you'd like, of course-"

While she was talking, layers of Liv's composure melted away entirely, leaving tears streaming down her face as she gasped for air. She had kept herself together until she couldn't manage it anymore, and unraveled in a spectacular, snotty fashion.

"It's so scary," she managed, between sobs. "What if he doesn't wake up? What if he's not the same person when he wakes up? What if he's completely paralyzed?"

Holly set the steaming cup on the table in front of her, and wrapped her arms around Liv's shaking body. It was reminiscent of the stance they took when Liv found out her mother had passed away, and the parallel left her shaken. The shaking didn't stop, though the tears slowed, due to lack of tears left to cry.

"I don't have answers," Holly said. "But I know it's going to work out. He never takes no for an answer, he'll probably be back on his feet by the weekend. You know how he is."

"I'm so afraid he's not going to wake up," she managed to say, as her cries rendered her voice mostly useless. The strain on her chest was so powerful, as she tried to stop resisting the tears. It was hard.

"Do you want something to calm you down?" Holly asked gently, though Liv's response was an enthusiastic nod. That sounded ideal to her. She had a feeling a good night's sleep would give her better perspective on everything.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess," Liv said, as Holly doctored her tea.

"Please don't apologize. You have so much on your plate. I can't even imagine."

Liv sipped at her tea as she felt the calming draught begin to take hold of her. It eased the anxiety in her chest, the tension in her neck and shoulders. She took a deep breath for the first time in hours. In that moment, she wondered why she hadn't asked for it hours ago.

"Where can I sleep?" Liv asked, her eyelids getting heavy.

Holly brought her upstairs, to the guest room. Liv kicked off her shoes, and sat on the bed. "I apologize in advance if the baby wakes you… he usually wakes up around 4, not because he's hungry or wet, he just thinks it's a great time for a party."

"I think I'll sleep right through it," she said, sighing. "Thank you, Holly."

"Of course. You know where to find me."

As soon as Liv's head hit the pillow, she was out in moments. She slept a deep sleep, blessedly uninterrupted by bad dreams.

—

She stirred to the sound of Xavi babbling in the next room over. At first, she tried to ignore it, but once she was awake, her mind started going and it was impossible to quell. She got up and stretched, her muscles fatigued from all the tension they held yesterday.

Tiptoeing, she made her way into the baby's room, and grabbed him from his crib. He was delighted to see her, and sat down with him in the glider, bouncing him on her legs and making him giggle. "You know it's still night time, right?"

He cooed at her in response, without a care in the world. He lightly stroked her face, and she found it pretty endearing, actually. She wasn't really a baby person… but this baby, he wasn't too bad. Eventually he got all his wiggles out of him, and snuggled up in her arms. She rested her hand on his back, gently lulling him to sleep. She got a little sleepy herself, though didn't give in to her desire for more sleep.

"I'm sorry he woke you up," Holly said, when she came in to get him just before six.

"He's fine," she murmured, giving him to her. "We had a little cuddle. He's so sweet."

"I'm rather fond of him," she said, proudly. He resisted Holly's attempts to wake him, so she gently set him back in his crib. "I got you clothing, after you fell asleep last night. I ran to the house and picked some things up for you…"

"Oh, thank you so much," she said, honestly surprised by the kindness. "You don't know how much I appreciate that."

"They're in your room, if you want to change."

Holly had outdone herself and selected a handful of outfits for her. Liv didn't have a care in the world about what she was wearing, but it was definitely time for new clothing. She picked a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and her work cloak, the least fussy option, and met Holly in the kitchen for coffee.

"What's your plan for today?"

"I'm going to stop at Mungos and see how he's doing, first," she said. "Then probably to the office for a bit—"

"What do you need at the office?" she asked. "I'll get it for you."

Liv sensed her hesitation, and knew this was not a matter of convenience. "Who can I expect to be an arse to me at the office, Holly?"

"Houston and I might have exchanged words," she said, sheepishly.

"I'm not afraid of him," she said. "I need to go to the office and delegate tasks. I simply can't do it from the hospital. If I could, I would, but my department needs me."

"Okay," she said, handing Liv coffee. "I'll be there, if you need me."

Liv nodded, appreciatively, though she knew that whatever she had to deal with at the office was up to her, and her alone. She finished her coffee, gave Holly a hug, and departed for the hospital.

Everything was comparatively very still, though the sun had yet to rise. It was just after six, and the hospital still seemed to be sleeping. She had no trouble getting into the ward, and found him in the exact position she'd left him in the night before. The gravity of the situation was hard to ignore, but she needed this time with him before she could go on with her day. A nurse noticed she had come in, and came to sit with her for a few moments.

"They examined him overnight and he's holding steady," she explained. "Which is good."

Liv nodded. "Any movement?"

"No, not yet," she said. "I wouldn't expect any for another twenty four hours, truthfully. His body is hard at work healing. This time is critical for him. The longer he's out, the stronger he will be when he opens his eyes."

That reassured her, a little, at least. She told herself that she could go without him another day or two if it meant he would be closer to coming home when he woke up. She sat by him for half an hour, before she decided to head to work and get started on what she needed to catch up on.

She was first in the office, though it wasn't a bad thing. She was certain it would be a trying day, and the less people staring at her, the better. After turning all the lights on, and brewing a fresh pot of coffee, she sat down at her desk to begin writing out what needed to get done today. Houston got a new case, to keep him nice and busy. The more menial, the better. She needed a report from two of her employees by the end of the day, and wanted to get status updates from a few more.

Before she could focus on accomplishing her to do list, she picked up the two documents Rutherford had left for her. Testaments of what had happened to Harry. In an unfamiliar loopy scrawl, she read Mari Selywn's account.

_Aurors Potter, Marquis, and Evanson were leading Junior Aurors, including myself, on a trip through the Hainault neighborhood of London to observe some recent sites of suspicious behavior. Potter led the lot of us off the High street and down Cavalier Road towards the quieter, residential side of town where an unknown source of magic seems quite active on weekend nights. Potter was reminding us of the proper procedure when a deceptive ward was activated by a gesture in its direction. The ward lit up like Muggle electricity and sent him approximately ten feet in the air. He landed on the left side of his body, appearing unconscious, as Auror Marquis secured the area-_

Liv put aside the paper, her stomach turning. The fact that he was hurt was purely accidental and that caused a surge of anger in her body. She folded the two sheets of parchment in half, then stuck them in her top drawer.

"Wellwood?" Rutherford asked, stopping by when he got in the office. "How long have you been here?"

She checked her watch. "About forty five minutes, sir. I have a lot of work to catch up on."

"You can work from home," he said, looking slightly concerned. "Let us know what we can do to help you."

"Can you come in?" she asked, as he lingered in her doorway. He did, shutting the door behind her. "I don't want anyone to think I'm getting special privileges because of my involvement with… him, and I need to do right by my employees. I'll be in the office all morning, most likely, trying to get as much of this done as possible. He's still sedated, I checked up on him this morning. He's safe. When he wakes up, that's when he's going to need me more. But for right now, I think this is the best place for me, for my sake and the continued smooth operation of the department."

He stood and listened to everything she had to say, nodding along. "You are wise beyond your years, Wellwood. I think you're going to make an excellent Head of Research."

She appreciated his respect but didn't have time for compliments. "Thank you, sir."

"I'll be in my office if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it."

She nodded, and got back to her work.

**Author's Note: Another Friday, another chapter! Hope everyone's had a swell week and are in for a lovely weekend. I want to thank you all for your support and kind messages this week—they mean the world. I'm hard at work on the story that will follow Gravity, thanks to you all! And as always, thank you to my brilliant-beyond-words beta, potter-reading-coastie. Cheers, folks!**


	29. Chapter 29

Over the next hour, employees started filling in the cubes around her, and Anne came and met with her to get updated on all of the current projects the department was tackling. They went down her list, person by person, to make certain they were on the same page. "So make sure Houston is on top of this, I want his report by the time he leaves the office today— if he has to stay late, I don't care, it's overdue."

"Will you be… in the office all day?"

"I'm not sure yet," Liv said, trying to remain as neutral as possible. "I've got a lot on my plate right now… but I am always available by mail, if anyone has questions, please don't hesitate to have them write me, and I'll get back to them quickly. I'll pass that on to everyone when I meet with them, but in case they forget."

"How is he?" Anne asked, tentatively. Liv knew that someone would ask her, but she hadn't yet thought of the perfect answer.

Liv took a deep breath, before looking up at her. "It's too soon to say, Anne. I'm sure when Rutherford has more information, it will be shared with the office."

Anne nodded, and left her be to start her meetings. Before lunch, she was able to get to nearly everyone, doling out new assignments, reports, and status updates. Only one person remained on her list, and that was the meeting she was dreading the most: Houston.

"You wanted to see me, boss?" he asked, walking in the door with a certain swagger she hated. Endlessly cocky, it wasn't hard to dislike him, but she took a deep breath before reminding herself to be professional.

"Yes, come in," she said, grabbing the file she had scrawled his name on. "I just wanted a status update on the report for Mecca-Orrisy's case."

"Oh, yeah," he said. "I've been working on it. Anne said you wanted it by the end of the day?"

"Well, I would've liked it last week when it was due, but yes, the end of the day at the latest," she said, trying to be firm but not an asshole.

"Alright," he said. "Do you have anything else for me?"

"Yes, when you're done with that, please see Bradley. I want you scoping the field with him, he's working on a new case. It's pretty routine, I don't think you'll have any issues with it."

"I'm senior to him," he said. "Shouldn't he be working under me?"

"If you'd wrapped up Mecca-Orrisy, I would've given it to you, but crime doesn't wait," she said, shrugging. "I've spoken with him and he'll be happy to get you up to speed with what he's been working on. I'm sure you'll be of great assistance to him."

He nodded curtly, obviously displeased with this announcement. She ignored it for now. "Evanson said you might have something you wanted to discuss with me?"

His cheeks grew a bit flushed, and his eyes narrowed. "I just expressed my frustration with the obvious favoritism that happens in this department when you're sleeping with one of Rutherford's sweethearts."

She laughed. "Well, if that's what you need to tell yourself as to why you are not the one taking over for Kensington in his retirement, Ben, by all means. It certainly has nothing to do with the three verbal warnings and two written warnings I've issued over the last few months that your work was late or of subpar quality. Nothing at all."

She couldn't help but smirk, as her last sentence hung in the air between them. "But look— I'm willing to look past that, if you can start delivering what we expect of you and turning your work in on time. Do that for a few weeks, and I'll start giving you higher profile cases, but when I'm running this department- you're going to have to earn it. That's all."

He left, and for a moment she felt very pleased in how she had handled that. She'd been continually displeased with his performance, and if he wanted to improperly blame her success on her ties to Harry, well, she didn't really have the capacity to be upset by it at the moment. She would not entertain the notion that anything but hard work and being in the right place at the right time had gotten her a major promotion.

She packed up her bag with work, and glanced at the clock. It was about lunch time, and she hadn't eaten all day and hardly anything the day before. The last real meal she had was the breakfast sandwich Harry had brought her. She decided to find some lunch before she moved her work to the hospital, so once she made it to ground level, she set off in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron.

Neville looked excited to see her, and immediately poured her a glass of wine. "You're only allowed to sit down if you promise not to sneak me galleons this time."

"I take it you've heard what's happened?" she asked, sitting down at the bar and accepting the drink.

"Yeah, Hermione was in here this morning on her way to pick something up in the shops," he said. "It all sounds so… awful. Is he awake yet?"

"No," she said, bringing the glass to her lips and taking a slow sip of it. "They don't expect him to come to until at least tomorrow. It's a waiting game right now. I haven't eaten a meal in… too long, do you serve food this early?"

"Of course," he said. "What do you want? I'll make anything."

She was cheered up by his willingness to accommodate her, and flipped through the menu. She came here because she wanted something that tasted homemade, not some sandwich that had been sitting in a cardboard box for three days, waiting for someone to purchase it. "Shepherd's pie?"

"You got it," he said, and left her be for a few minutes. She sipped at her wine, slowly, as she felt it hit her head quickly. She didn't have anything in her stomach which was making her head feel extra light. She was able to take deep breaths and enjoy the silence for a few minutes, as she pulled out her planner.

Nearly everything on their schedule could be adjusted to accommodate Harry's injury— everything except Teddy's departure for Hogwarts. He was supposed to spend the next weekend with them, grabbing last minute items, and Teddy had requested an afternoon long hike and camp out on Saturday. That simply wasn't going to happen before he got on a train, exactly one week later. Liv sighed, trying to figure out how exactly to minimize how Teddy would be affected by it all.

She could take him shopping as they had planned and get him organized, and she could probably manage the hike, but she knew it wasn't about the action of hiking. It was about time with his godfather, and Liv had no clue how to replicate that. Harry would probably be awake by then, but what condition would he be in? It was anyone's guess.

Neville came back with her food, then went to tend to a few customers. On a Tuesday, there wasn't much going on in the pub, for which she was grateful. The rich, comforting food was exactly what she needed, and she could feel her body accepting fuel happily. Her mind felt clearer, and she felt ready to tackle things.

"Do you want another glass of wine?" Neville asked, as she continued to pick at her food.

"I'd better not," she said. "I still have a lot of stuff to take care of today, but that was exactly what I needed, Neville. Thank you."

"Of course," he said. "Let me know if there's anything we can do to help… I know the timing on this couldn't be worse."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Still not sure how we're—uh, how I'm going to break the news to Ted that this weekend isn't going to look like how he's dreamed it up to look."

Neville nodded in understanding. "He's a good kid. He'll understand. You can bring him here and we'll fix him up something nice."

"That's sweet of you to offer," she said. "Do you accept tips when children give them to you?"

He laughed at her. "Perhaps. If I'm helping teach good manners, y'know."

She smiled, and was very grateful for having a friend in Neville. "You're absolutely certain I can't—"

"Nope, get out of here," he said. "Have a nice afternoon, I hope you have good news for us soon."

"Thanks," she said, gathering her belongings. "Me too."

—

She spent the entire afternoon at his bedside. Hermione joined her for awhile, doing her own work from across the room without much conversation. Liv needed silence right now, desperately. This morning, waiting another day or two seemed doable, but as the afternoon passed, her resolve was dissolving. She took a walk for some fresh air at one point, and Holly stopped by in the evening so they sat in the waiting room together for a few minutes.

"No change?"

She shook her head. "Tomorrow, maybe. Do you want to come back with me?"

Holly wasn't good about seeing people injured, and Liv wasn't surprised when she turned the offer down. "I really just stopped by to check on you. I have more work, if you need it, and some more calming draught…"

"You're the best," Liv breathed, taking the small vial from her. A single drop under her tongue wouldn't put her to sleep, but it helped slow everything down enough that she could handle things better. "Is it alright if I sleep at your house again?"

"Of course, Liv," Holly said. "Whatever you need. Here, take my key, in case no one's up when you get there."

"Thank you," she said, slipping the key in the pocket of her jeans.

Liv trekked down to the cafeteria to get some soup and a cup of coffee before they stopped serving food for the night. She wasn't hungry, really, but the drying air of the hospital left her wanting more fluids. The chicken and wild rice soup looked acceptable.

She made her way back up to the ward, where she found Ron heading out. "Everything okay?" She asked, reading the confused look on his face.

"I was coming to look for you, he's starting to wake up."

She ran back towards his room, feeling awful that she hadn't been there when he awoke. All the hours she'd spent by his bed, and in her ten minute absence, things had happened.

The Healer was standing over him, evaluating the response of his pupils.

"What happened?" He groaned, his eyes unfocused. She dug his glasses out of her work bag, and handed them to the Healer.

"You were injured on the job, Mr. Potter," the Healer said. "What's the last thing you remember?"

He looked around at them, but his eyes still seemed to not see. He didn't focus at all, but groaned in pain. Liv held her breath as she waited for them to evaluate him. His eyes were open, he was awake. This was what she had been hoping for since Monday afternoon, but it didn't reassure her at all. She had expected him to wake up as himself.

"How did I get hurt?" He asked, untangling his hand from the sheets and bringing it to his head, where he'd hit it on something.

"Someone hit you with a curse that's damaged your nervous system," she explained. "I see that you can move your right arm, but what about your left? Can you raise it for me?"

"But what happened?" He asked, as if he hadn't heard a single thing the Healer had said to him.

She gnawed at the skin on the inside of her lip, anxious at his uncertainty. What if this was who he was now? What if the Harry she'd fallen in love with was gone forever?

"Love," she said, stepping forward. "We can talk about what happened later. Can you move your left hand like the Healer asked?"

He looked in her direction, but it felt like he looked right through her. It made chills run down her spine, and she decided she needed to step out of the room. She walked to the bathroom for use by visitors and splashed cold water on her face. Everyone had been right... him waking up was just the beginning.

When she'd dried off her face, she found Ron and the Healer waiting for her in the hallway.

"Well," she said, her face excruciatingly neutral. "I think he's in okay shape."

"He keeps repeating himself!" She said.

"Yes, so he realized he is hurt," she said. "And he has verbal skills. Sometimes they wake up and can't speak, don't know what year it is. This is just the beginning... give it a day or two, he'll be in a much better place. He's still coming out of sedation. Give him time."

"Okay," she said.

"But I think, so as not to overstimulate him, it may be best to let us continue to evaluate him and come back tomorrow. We don't want any setbacks."

She nodded, and didn't feel like going back into the room. She wanted to see him, but not the him that couldn't even focus his eyes on her. Not right now. Maybe tomorrow, after some time for reality to sink in.

Ron grabbed her bag for her, and they walked out together. Liv had no clue what to say to him, so she stayed quiet.

"Are you holding up okay?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I'm getting through it."

"I think the Healer's right, for what it's worth," she said. "Hermione's been doing her reading on these kind of things and it seems like the first two days will show a lot of improvement."

"I really hope so," she said. "But what if he never wakes up?

Ron just blinked at her, confused. "Liv, he's awake."

"The him from before," she said. "The him I fell in love with."

"Oh," he said. He considered it for a moment. "I've known him for almost twenty years and that's never occured to me, and I've seen him through a lot."

She knew that was Ron's best attempt at reassuring her.

"He'll be up and the nurses will be begging you to take him off their hands in a few days. Just wait."

"Okay," she said, before they nodded at each other and went their separate ways.

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry for missing my regular Monday upload this week! Consider this for Monday, and I'll get up Wednesday's chapter tomorrow. Please let me know what you think! Eternal gratitude to potter-reading-coastie, my inimitable beta. **


	30. Chapter 30

She woke up before the sun, for the third day in a row. The clock said five, and she knew sleep would not become her again. She rolled off of the stiff mattress, changed into a pair of jeans, and packed up her stuff. Holly had let her stay there without hesitation, but Liv felt like it was time to consider going home. She stuffed all her belongings into a bag, and quietly headed out of the still house.

She popped into the city, looking for somewhere to get a cup of coffee that early, and stopped at a sleepy cafe. The only other patron was an old man who sat reading a paper in one of the booths. The barista tried to make small talk with her, and she was polite but didn't chat much. As soon as she had her coffee, she dropped a couple Muggle pounds in the tip jar and was on her way.

Before she could think about it much, her feet took her to Mungo's. The hospital was exceptionally still, and she almost preferred it that way. The people, the noise, they were just distractions. She didn't have much hope that Harry would be much more present today, but she had a lot of work to do today and wanted to stop by before she went to the office.

The door to his room was open, and she peaked around it to see him propped up in bed, talking to the nurse. She dared to wonder if he was… more himself this morning. His glasses were on and he seemed engaged.

"Liv," he said, as he saw her. And this time— he really saw her. His eyes were wide and curious as he tried to take her in.

She entered the room, putting her rucksack down on one of the chairs. She didn't quite know what to say, but sat down in the chair next to his bed anyways.

"I'll leave you to it," the nurse said, excusing herself.

"Hi," she said, feeling entirely unsure.

"Come here," he said, extending his right hand towards her. She briefly noticed his left hand was still tucked to his body, which scared her, but she tried to forgot about it, if at least temporarily. She embraced him, pressing her face against his stubbly cheek. He brought his hand up to her hair, running his fingers through it.

She felt her eyes dampen, and the tears started flowing. She couldn't control it, she was filled with intense relief. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Shh…" he said, holding her close. "You're okay."

She nodded, wiping away her tears and pulling away to look at him. He was a mess, frankly, but she didn't care one bit. She held his hand, as she wiped away her subsiding tears.

"What happened?" He asked. "The last thing I can remember is bringing you breakfast on Monday. And I know I was awake last night, but I can't remember what happened."

"I have the reports," she said. "But they're on my desk at work. I'll bring them to you if you want."

"Hmm," he said, trying to work things through in his head. She didn't want to overwhelm him.

"Are you in pain?" She asked.

"No, no," he said, shaking his head. "They've been medicating me plenty. I feel fine. Are you okay?"

She nodded. She couldn't imagine being anything but okay in that moment. It was easy to forget how wound up she had been the last few days when she saw him talk.

"I know there are other things I need to ask you about," he said. "But my head feels kind of fuzzy."

"It's okay," she said. "Don't push yourself. We have so much time."

She dropped her things off in the office, made herself coffee, then decided to take a walk. She'd never had a reason to visit Ron upstairs in the Department of International Magical Cooperation before, but she wanted to give him a status update.

She took the lift up four floors, and got out on the south wing. The ministry seemed entirely different up there. There was some natural light, and a newly installed water scape along the hallway. Not that she cared, at all, about the wood paneling in her office, but it was certainly a nicer set up. She opened the heavy, walnut door, and was greeted by Lance Culloughy, who had also been a Ravenclaw in her year. His partner worked in the Auror department.

"It's not often you make the trek up here, Wellwood," he said, leaning over his desk.

"That's for sure," she said, signing in. "How is everything, Lance?"

"No complaints," he said. "What brings you up here?"

"Looking for Weasley," she said. "He in yet?"

"Yes," he said, and turned a knob on his desk that would let him know there was someone looking for him. "He's expecting France at nine but I'm sure he has time to meet with you."

"Thank you," she said, and went to take a seat.

"Hey," Lance said, lowering his voice. "Am I correct in hearing congratulations are in order?"

"What?" She asked, honestly not sure about what he was referring to. She didn't want to give anything away without knowing exactly what she was committing to.

"Art mentioned you're taking over for Kensington, permanently-"

"Lance I wasn't expecting anyone until-" Ron said, but stopped when he saw Liv. "Oh, Wellwood. Uh, come in."

"Thanks," she said, following him through the door and into the real heart of the department. She knew Cian worked somewhere, but really hadn't spent enough time up there to know. Ron had a small office... a closet, really, with a desk in it. Liv didn't even have enough room to sit down.

"You're taking over for Kensington permanently?" He asked, a confused look on his face.

"Yeah," she said, waving her hand like it wasn't important. "Not til next year though, but that's not what I came her for. I visited him this morning and he looks really good, he's much more present and holding conversations."

"Oh, good!" He said. "Hermione was going to spend the morning with him, I can't miss much time today but I'm going to visit on my lunch."

"He wanted me to get as much work done as possible," she explained. "I just wanted to come deliver the news in person, I don't know who reads your memos."

"Just me," he said. "I'm not that important up here."

She chuckled. "I'm going to cut out early so I can meet with his Healers, I didn't get to this morning. His left side is still really weak, I'm sure it's going to drive him nuts, but I want to get him out of there as soon as we can."

"Believe me," Ron said. "As soon as he can be up and about and express his opinions, the nurses are going to be begging you to take him home."

She laughed, because she knew it was true. He wouldn't stay down for long. "Anyways, I know you have a meeting so I'll get out of here-"

"Thanks, Liv," he said. "I'm really glad he has you fighting for him."

She couldn't help but smile, but was entirely unsure of how to respond beyond that. "I'll see you later."

She had reached peak levels of exhaustion. Three days of intense stress had used up every ounce of strength she had, and Harry being well enough to satisfy her left her relieved enough to succumb to exhaustion. When she stopped by Mungo's in the afternoon, she was intercepted by a Healer before she made it to his room.

"Do you have a moment to talk?" The curly haired young woman who had been attending to him asked.

"Of course," she said, stepping with the young woman. They sat down in a small alcove near his room.

"He's making fantastic strides," she said. "You must be very happy."

"I am very relieved."

"Mentally... he's doing exceptionally. I'm sure you've noticed some fog, but it's absolutely normal. The sedatives can take another day or two to fully leave his systems. By Saturday, I expect his mind to be working as well as it was Monday morning."

"That's excellent news," Liv agreed. "What about physically?"

"Well... that's going to take longer."

"Have you had a chance to examine him?"

"Preliminarily. His right side is very strong, I would say nearly unaffected. His left side... well, his leg can't bear as much weight as normal."

"Was he up today?" She asked, curiously.

"We got him up briefly this afternoon for some evaluations, but he can't quite walk yet. One foot doesn't seem to want to cooperate. That's okay- it certainly doesn't mean he won't regain use of it. But we have established a baseline now."

"I've noticed his hand doesn't seem to be working as expected either..."

"That's correct," she said. "His foot can bear some weight. He can stand with support, with a walker, eventually a cane. However, he hasn't had luck getting his arm moving- yet. We have many avenues to explore, magical and Muggle, and I have lots of hope he will regain use of it. But I absolutely cannot give you a timeline on when."

It was a lot of news for her, and she sat there absorbing it all. For as much hope as she was given, a small part of her hesitated. She was curious if there would ever be Sunday afternoon hikes in their future, or if she'd feel him reach around her during sex with both arms to hug her tight to his body.

"Okay," Liv said, after a few moments' thought. She would need to put on a very brave face for him. "When can we get him home?"

"I thought you might ask. I think it's going to be sometime next week. Tuesday or Wednesday, likely."

Liv couldn't keep the groan in. This meant she was finally tasked with dealing with the upcoming weekend and how it wouldn't be what Teddy wanted it to be, which she had been avoiding for days. "If that's what's best for him."

"I really think it would benefit him to stay here, regain his strength, and perhaps make some headway on his mobility."

She nodded. "Okay then. I would like to be kept fully up to date on his status, I'll be in and out of the ward all day. And please let me know what I need to do to get the house ready for him to come home."

"Absolutely. Over the weekend, the three of us can get together and begin to discuss what the transition will look like."

Liv nodded, and decided she needed a few minutes to process all that information before discussing it with Harry.

So, she headed to the cafeteria. She was thirsty, and the hospital felt unnaturally cold. She settled on a mug of tea, hoping it would soothe her weary body.

"Liv?"

She instinctively turned to the sound of her name, not pausing to first consider who had called out to her. Ames stood there, looking at her blankly.

For a moment, she was too shocked to even regret turning around. He looked... better. He was clean shaven, his hair had recently been cut, and he looked to have lost a few pounds since she last saw him. But seeing him there, when she'd least been expecting it, left her a little stunned.

"Er, hi," she managed, after a moment too long. Using a wooden stick, she fished her tea bag out of the cup of hot water, desperate to keep her hands busy. The silence between them was a little awkward, and she didn't want it to intensify.

"You look like you saw a ghost," he said, moving in and cupping her shoulder with the palm of his hand. Before she could even consciously consider how to react, she shrugged him off.

But then, feeling the internal pressure, and not desperately not wanting to make a scene, she shrugged, trying to play it off nonchalant while her heart beat rapidly in her chest. "I wasn't expecting to see you there is all. What are you doing here, anyways?"

"Anders' wife gave birth last night," he said. She'd completely forgotten his brother's wife was even expecting.

"Well, congratulations, _Uncle Ames_," she said, snapping the cover on her tea and walking towards the witch running the cash register.

"What, uh, are you doing here?" he asked, his hand finding its way to the hair on the back of his head. She recognized it for exactly what it was: an old nervous habit. It was hard for her to look at him, to be this close to him, to smell his familiar cologne and not be firmly transported back in time. It made her chest tighten and her stomach hurt. At such a close distance, she couldn't separate him from his illness. What part of Ames was a terrible partner, and what part was desperately in need of help? She didn't know, and wasn't sure what to attribute to how poorly he'd treated her.

"They have the best tea in London, haven't you heard?" she quipped.

He chuckled nervously, but followed her as she paid for her tea, her shaking hands obvious as she dug through her change purse.

"Seriously…" he said, nudging her again

"My boyfriend's on the fourth floor," she said, trying not to dwell on how weird that was to say to him. For as long as she'd known Ames, boyfriend meant, well, Ames.

"Spell damage?"

"Mmhm," she said, taking the receipt from the old witch's hand and shoving it into her pocket. The cafeteria in front of them was mostly empty. An older couple sat at one table, though their food had long since been eaten. Two workers cleaned tables and swept the floor in the opposite corner of the giant room.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ames said, and she could hear the genuinity in his voice. "I hope he's okay."

"Thanks," she said, eyes cast downward. She was having trouble looking at him. "They think he'll recover alright."

"Good," he said, nodding. "Simon had said you looked…"

He trailed off, and suddenly she didn't have a hard time looking him in the eye. The way he paused, and opened his hand as if he were grasping for a word, she knew Ames was replaying their conversation in his head and looking for a suitable replacement.

"Fat?"

The way he opened his mouth but didn't say anything confirmed her suspicion. "Well-"

"It's okay," she said, looking down and examining her body for a moment. She couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it all, and knew Simon had a strong preference for waif-like women. She had gained weight, but not in a bad way. It was just the kind of weight that one gains when they replace their dinners of cigarettes and alcohol with dinners of actual food. "I've gained weight. He's a good cook."

"He said you looked happy," he said, ignoring her interjection.

"That too," she said, softly. She blew the steam off her tea, grateful for something to do with her hands.

"Are you happy?" he asked, earnestly. His brown eyes met hers, and briefly, she could see the man she had originally fallen in love with.

"I am, Ames," she said, nodding.

He nodded, looking unsure of how to react. "You deserve it, Liv."

"How are you doing?" she asked, reluctantly.

"Haven't had a drink since Simon kindly forced me into rehab," he said, fidgeting with his hands.

"I'm glad someone was able to."

He nodded. "Me too."

A beat passed between them. She was ready to return to Harry, but she could see all over Ames' face that he had things he wanted to say to her that he was still trying to figure out how to verbalize. She gave him some time to put words together.

"I didn't mean for things to go like that," he said. "I was such a prat to you, actually, prat doesn't even begin to cover it, and I'm really sorry."

"I know you are," she said. She wasn't ready to accept his apology, or forgive him, and didn't know she ever would be, but she appreciated hearing it nonetheless. In the past, she would've probably felt inclined to squeeze his arm, or show affection and approval in some tangible way, but her hands stayed clasped firmly together on the tea in front of her.

"It's hard to imagine you with someone else," he said. She knew, from her years of knowing Ames, and the tone of his voice, that he was thinking out loud more than anything. "It just feels so soon."

"I didn't intend to," she admitted. "But life can't always be planned, sometimes things just happen even when the timing is wonky."

"Who is it, anyways?" he asked, full of gentle curiosity. "Simon wouldn't tell me."

Liv considered the answer for a moment. It wasn't something she necessarily was confident sharing. It wasn't really any of his business. She took a few strides in the direction of the lift, deciding she was ready to move on from the conversation. He followed. "Potter."

Ames' reaction caused Liv's eyes to widen as he burst into a deep laughter. "Well, shit, Liv."

She wasn't sure if it was a good kind of laughter or the kind of laughter that fills the space where otherwise tears might be. She was speechless, and sighed in the absence of knowing what else to say. He seemed to suddenly realize his reaction stunned her, and that he needed to say something with more words. "Y'know, I can see that, actually."

"It's worked well for us so far," she said. She turned a corner and saw the lift in sight, perfectly timed to rescue her from further small talk. "Anyways, I should get back to him."

"Of course," he said. "I hope he makes a swift recovery."

"Thanks," she said, nodding and stepping into the waiting lift.

"Be well, Liv," he said, "Yeah?"

As the doors closed, she nodded and murmured, "Yeah."

**Author's Note: A lot of people messaged wanting more closure to Ames' story line, so I hope this satisfies that **** Otherwise, we're not too far off from the end, just a few more chapters! Let me know what you think of the story and if there's anything you'd love to see before the end. Thanks, as always, to potter-reading-coastie.**


	31. Chapter 31

She was glad to be back on the floor with Harry. She had no desire to actually drink her tea, but Harry was happy to take it off her hands. His eyelids were heavy, but he could tell something was bothering her.

"I saw Ames," she said. "In the cafeteria."

"Oh?" he asked.

"How long do you have to be broken up until it gets less terrifying to be in the same room as them?" she asked, her voice slightly frantic.

"I still can get riled up by Ginny and it's been four years," he said, trying to sound assuring. "How'd he look?"

"He's sober. He looks… like himself. I think he's in a good place now," she said, sitting down. "So… that part was kind of good to see, I guess."

She took him in, and could see that he was trying his damnedest to fight a nap. "I'm so selfish. Love, get some sleep, okay? You've got to rest. You need to heal up. I'll swing by later and we can talk more."

Liv left the ward a few minutes later. For the first time since Monday, she felt up to going home. Despite her exhaustion, she thought fresh air and a tiny bit of exercise might do her body good, so she walked. It wasn't that far of a walk, really, and the weather was everything she could have hoped for. It felt bizarre to have been away from home for so many days. Since she'd moved in, she hadn't spent a night elsewhere.

The house loomed before her, seeming even larger than usual. She entered the wards quickly, unlocking them as she had been taught. As she walked in the doors, the gas lamps in the entryway hissed as they lit, and it felt so good to be home.

She dropped her bag in the kitchen, and rifled through the mail that had been piled on the table. She selected a new magazine, and headed upstairs. In desperate need of it, a bath sounded like the perfect way to unwind.

She hadn't anticipated their bedroom would be so hard to look at. Monday morning before work, they'd enjoyed a quick shag, and clothing was flung about the room without a care. She could clearly recall glancing at them and thinking she could straighten everything up after work. Sighing, she collected it all and tossed it in the hamper.

A hot bath, filled to the brim with bubbles, felt good against her tired body. She leisurely flipped through her gossip magazine, which was a welcome distraction. She had a lot to be anxious about, but tried to push it off to later.

After the bath, and a much needed shampoo, she wrapped herself in Harry's robe and climbed into bed- on his side. It smelled like him, like soap and parchment and the aftershave he wore. She hugged a pillow to her chest, almost as if she had him in bed to hold on to. It was a weak comparison to the real thing, but it comforted her enough to lull her into a deep and dreamless sleep.

She woke up, hours later, slightly confused. In her sleep, she'd shifted and the fresh air flowing in from the window felt nice on her bare skin. It took her a few extra moments to realize exactly where she was, but she was happy to realize she was home.

It was seven o'clock, which meant she'd slept for around five hours. She felt more rested than she had all week, and enjoyed it for a few moments. It was still light out, and would be for a few hours, and she had plenty to accomplish. But first, she wanted to see if Harry was awake.

She walked into the ward, past a large family that had spilled out into the hallway. She didn't bother to hide her displeasure that they had taken over so much space. She peeked into Harry's room, and found him awake and slowly eating dinner.

His face lit up when he saw her walk in. "Liv."

"Hello, love," she said, running her hands through his hair as she kissed him. He was clean shaven, and definitely had been up for a shower. "How are you this evening?"

"Better now," he said. She watched him clumsily try and cut a piece of chicken. As desperately as she wanted to help him, it was incredibly important he do it himself.

"How's the food?"

"I could really go for one of your sandwiches about now."

She couldn't help but smile. He finished his dinner and pushed it away, reaching for her hand instead. "C'mere."

Her beckoned her to join him on the bed, so she obliged. His touch was exactly what she needed, as she wrapped her arm around him. "I missed you."

"I know," he whispered, pressing kisses into her cheek. "I won't let it happen again."

"I can't wait until you come home."

He nodded. "Any clue when that will be?"

"I spoke with the Healer this morning and she thinks sometime in the middle of next week." She watched his face turn sour, and didn't blame him. But she needed to encourage him. "Yeah, I know. But we want you to make big improvements before you can come home."

"I'm fine."

She knew he hadn't brought up his left side because he was trying to pretend it wasn't happening, but it was. "They want your leg and arm to be a little stronger first."

He didn't look happy, and she was hesitant to let her limited time with him fall into a less agreeable mood. Considering the subjects she could pivot the conversation to, she picked what needed to be discussed the most. "What do you want me to do about Ted?"

The distraction worked, but his face crumpled as he realized exactly what she was asking him. It wasn't her fault, nor his, though she felt like she was crushing his spirit a little bit.

"What does Teddy know?"

"Nothing," she said. "Andromeda is aware of the situation but we agreed not to tell him anything yet. I wanted to know exactly what we were dealing with before I got him involved. No reason to worry him unnecessarily."

"Thank you," he said, a slight wave of relief evident on his face. "For being exceptionally considerate of him."

She shrugged. It didn't feel like anything beyond basic consideration.

"No, really," he continued. "It means so much to me that I don't have to worry about your interactions with him not being exceptional. That hasn't always been the case and I didn't realize how important that is to me."

"I love that kid. I've accepted he has to go away to school, but that doesn't mean I won't have tears in my eyes when the train pulls away."

"You won't be alone," he said. "I… really don't know what to do. He still needs a few last minute items. I know we were supposed to hike and camp Butler's Pass this weekend…."

"If he wants to go, I'll take him," she promised. "But I don't think it was the hike he was concerned about, it was the company."

"That's exactly what it was. I can't believe I'm missing this," he sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Can you go to him?"

"Of course," she said. "I'll let him know you're getting better. I can float the idea of hiking past him and see how he reacts?"

"Please," he said. "Whatever he wants to do about this weekend is fine, so long as he gets his supplies. I know he'll understand."

"He's so resilient," she said. "It's going to be fine. I'll go there in the morning before work."

"How's the department?" He asked.

She considered what to tell him, for a moment. It didn't seem like a good idea to tell him much. He needed as much energy as possible devoted to healing up and feeling better. "It's just fine. Plugging along until you can rejoin it. I'll let Rutherford know you're up to visitors so he can come fill you in."

"Thanks," he said. "I'm so lucky to have you."

"Likewise," she said, nuzzling her head closer to him.

With Rutherford's blessing, she took Friday off. She had loads to do for Harry, needed to get the house in order for Teddy, and after the week she had- she was left without the resources to give much to her department. Everything was running smoothly enough in her absence that he didn't hesitate at all to let her take the day, and return to her normal schedule on Monday.

Her first stop was to Andromeda's house to visit Teddy, who was in the backyard. Andromeda brought them tea and cookies and left them be. Liv was dreading breaking the news to him, but knew she had to.

"Where's Harry?" He asked.

"Well, your godfather was in a little accident at work," she said, reciting the speech she had practiced that morning over and over. "He's going to be totally fine, but for now he's at St. Mungo's where the Healers are helping him get back on his feet."

She watched the news sink in on his face, and despite wanting to look away, she couldn't. His face crumpled as he processed everything.

"He'll be home tomorrow, right?" he asked, one swift breath carrying all the words out of his mouth. "Right, Liv?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Teddy, but he's not going to make it home this weekend, but-"

"But it's the last weekend before I go to school!"

"I know, love," she said, resisting the urge to get upset because it would only set him off more. His hair turned a deep, aubergine color and she wondered if he was even aware of it. She took a deep breath before she continued. "We can certainly go visit him, as much as you'd like."

"We're supposed to hike Butler's pass! And he was going to take me to Diagon Alley to get the rest of my supplies! We've had this plan _forever_."

"I know," she repeated, forcing the words out in the most supportive tone she could muster. "I know, love. He really wishes he could take you. We're still going to have a great weekend, I promise."

"If he can't take me to get my supplies, I'll just have Nan do it," he said.

She was hurt, but understood exactly what he was going through. He was about to leave for months on end and everything was up in the air. He'd had these plans for months, and they were broken without warning. And with their jobs, committing to visit him on Hogsmeade weekends was impossible at this point. It made sense he was so upset, and she knew, logically, he wasn't trying to hurt her.

"If that's what you'd prefer, that's fine, Ted," she said, trying her damnedest to remain calm and soothing- for both of their sakes. "I can take you to Butler's Pass, if you'd like to do that. We can visit your godfather and bring the chessboard and you can show us your best stuff. Whatever you want."

"I don't want any of it," he said, upset. He stood up and went inside, leaving her alone in the garden.

She sat there for a moment, stunned. Teddy needed space, so she let him go, and heard his bedroom door shut from all the way outside. She resisted the urge to cry, the sobs were not that far off and she required every ounce of available strength to keep calm.

After a few minutes, she gathered the tray and brought it inside, to where Andromeda was in the kitchen.

"Just like his mother," she said. "He's so dramatic."

Liv sighed. "I think it's best you take him to Diagon Alley and get him his supplies this weekend. I'll drop off the money for it all this evening."

"I can take him to the shops tonight," Andromeda offered. "But I've had plans with my sister for months, I'm going out of town this weekend."

For a moment, Liv just blinked at her, entirely unsure how to respond.

"You can take him this weekend, right?"

"I mean..." she trailed off, as she began to see red. Knowing that Andromeda didn't sign up for raising him, she could almost understand, but the selfishness reminded her of her own mother and clouded her judgment. "I think for the sake of what's best for Ted, it would be best you reschedule your weekend. He's quite upset, and he leaves in five days for three and a half months."

"I know, but I spent a lot of non-refundable money on a hotel in Ibiza."

Liv had absolutely no idea how to respond to this woman in a polite manner. She was left rather speechless, and just nodded. "Fine."

Although it wasn't what Teddy wanted, she would take care of him. She would make sure he was fed, that he had everything that he needed, and that he was given the opportunity to see his godfather. She would not let him know his grandmother didn't want to spend his last weekend with him. She had the opportunity to protect him from that truth, and was going to use it.

She left, upset beyond words. The only way she could manage to keep it together was by ignoring the events of the morning in favor of being numb. She didn't blame Teddy for being upset, not at all. But she didn't know how she was going to try and turn things around and give him a good weekend. That was all she wanted.

Knowing that she couldn't share the burden of his emotions with Harry, she tried to swallow all her emotions before she headed to Mungo's. He had enough on his plate, and she didn't want to distract him from healing. She stopped at one of his favorite restaurants— a small Indian shop close to their house, and picked him up a butter chicken platter. Perhaps, if she distracted him with food, he wouldn't be able to see through her lies about everything being okay.

When she entered the ward and made it to his room, she was surprised to see Rutherford was there, and they seemed deep in conversation. She wasn't sure she was welcome, though Harry waved her in anyways. "I brought you some lunch."

"Thanks," he said, taking the bag from him.

"You must be very proud of Olivia," Rutherford said.

"She's been a force to be reckoned with," he said. "I'm exceptionally lucky to have her by my side through this."

"I'm sure," he said. "But I was referring to her promotion."

Liv sighed as confusion was evident on Harry's face. It had been at the back of her mind all week, but she never felt like it was the right time to tell him. She certainly didn't imagine telling him like this. He looked to her, for explanation. "I hadn't quite gotten around to telling you yet, I'm sorry."

"Telling me…?"

"Kensington's retiring next spring and has asked me to assume his position permanently," she said, unable to meet his eyes.

"That is wonderful news," he said, though it seemed a bit forced. "I'm very proud of you, indeed."

She pursed her lips, unsure of the undertone of his compliment.

"We— the executive team— met with Paul on Monday to discuss and have all been very pleased with her so far, and think she's absolutely a fantastic choice to take over for him."

"I can't think of anyone better suited," Harry said.

"But— we've had a good discussion, Potter. I don't want to keep you from your food. I'll drop by next week some time, you just focus on healing up, okay?"

"Absolutely, boss," he said, shaking Rutherford's hand.

As Rutherford left, Liv got up to fuss with the curtains. It was a beautiful day outside and there was no natural light in his room. She had to fix that.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," he said, obviously upset with her. His voice was strained, and he hadn't even reached towards the food she had brought him.

"It wasn't malicious," she said, not turning to him. She knew, after the morning she had, that if she dared look at him she would break down. "I had— I have, I have so much going on right now. It was the last thing on my mind."

"Is that what he came to the office for on Monday?"

She nodded, angling her body back towards him. "I came to find you to tell you but you'd already left then you were hurt and then I wondered if I'd ever see you awake again and then I've been worrying about trying to keep you going and doing right by Teddy and it seems so unimportant to me right now."

She got it all out in one breath as her eyes filled with tears. She turned away to wipe them, and managed to get things under control.

"It's okay," he said, beckoning her closer.

She didn't move forward, but instead squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She wanted a way to undo the last five days. She wanted to go back to Monday morning, to their carefree shag before work, to getting cups of coffee together, to being happily carefree. She wanted to undo things so that she could properly celebrate her achievements with him, instead of shedding tense tears over them. She was strong and able to carry them, but she was exhausted by it.

"Please come here."

She did, and sat on the edge of his bed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said, grabbing her hand. "I'm incredibly proud of you, Liv."

She shrugged.

"Don't," he said. "You've done a great job, and I'm very happy others see that. You're going to be exceptional, and I can't wait to celebrate this with you."

She leaned in, wrapping her arm around his torso. The tears began, again, and while she felt awful for crying on him, but she couldn't help it. It had all snowballed into an emotional storm, leaving snot flowing eagerly from her nose and tears streaming down her face.

He was, perhaps, a little stunned to see her breakdown so spectacularly, but probably should have known it was coming. His good arm supported her and soothed her as she sobbed against him. She wasn't a very tear prone person. Her current emotional status didn't leave him with a good feeling about how her visit with Teddy had gone, but he didn't want to press her for details just yet.

"I'm sorry," she said, voice strained. "I didn't mean to-"

"I know," he murmured. "It's okay, Liv. It's been a very trying week for you. I appreciate everything you have done for me, more than I'll ever be able to express."

She got up, grabbing tissues out of her bag. He watched intently as she grappled with composure. After a few moments of silence, she sat down in the chair next to his bed and seemed, at last, okay.

"I'm sorry," she said, again. "Please eat. I know the food here leaves a lot to be desired."

She was right, and he eagerly ate at the food she brought him.

"Teddy didn't react well?"

She shook her head. "Not really... I completely understand. He's anxious about going off to school, he's had a plan in his head for months, and it's not working out the way he expected. I don't blame him at all."

"Flexibility isn't always his strong suit."

"It's fine," she said, though truthfully she was unsure. "I'm going to give him a weekend he can't help but enjoy."

He smiled. "I have no doubt."

"I'm thinking..." she trailed off. "Farmer's market tomorrow morning, pick up some nice snacks for him, and maybe some fresh bread, and some fruit. Grab lunch at the Leaky Cauldron, pick up his last minute supplies, then bring you a nice picnic dinner in the afternoon."

"That sounds perfect to me," he said. "I think he's really going to enjoy the day."

"It's not the weekend he wanted-"

"It's not the weekend any of us wanted."

"That's for damn sure."

**Author's Note: Here's the next installment! Let me know what you think **** Gratitude as always for my wonderful beta, potter-reading-coastie.**


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